Cartouche met een tekst van Epictetus 1557

This engraving, "Cartouche met een tekst van Epictetus," was created by Frans Huys in the mid-16th century. Its relatively small size speaks to its intended function as a print, one of many that would have been circulated at the time. The image is made by incising lines into a copper plate. The quality of the engraved line is everything here; look at how the controlled, deliberate marks create the illusion of depth and texture. The image has an incredible fineness in its details. Engraving was a highly skilled practice, demanding years of training. These prints would have been relatively expensive. The text by Epictetus offers a window into the stoic philosophy valued at the time, with connotations of status and learning. Ultimately, this print shows how the combination of material, technique, and intellectual content could create an object of lasting value, blurring the lines between craft and art.