Heilige Bernardus van Siena 1588 - 1595

Johann Sadeler I made this engraving of Heilige Bernardus van Siena sometime before 1601. The lines you see are all incised into a metal plate, likely copper, with a tool called a burin. Consider the hand-work involved, and how the sharp, definite quality of the lines gives the image a sense of clarity. The artist is drawing on traditions of both printmaking and metalwork, melding these with the culture of fine art. Prints like this one were effectively a form of mass production in their day, allowing images to be widely disseminated. Note how the crispness of the engraving lends itself to reproduction, and reflects the growing culture of information exchange in early modern Europe. This wasn't just a devotional image, it was also a commodity. Looking closely at the marks of making helps us to understand the print’s social context, and to appreciate the skill involved in its creation.