Retorica 1528 - 1583

Etienne Delaune made this print, Retorica, sometime in the 16th century. It’s an engraving, meaning that the image was incised into a metal plate, probably copper. The plate would then have been inked, and printed onto paper. Looking closely, you can see how the artist has modulated the lines to create areas of light and shadow. Notice the varying density and thickness of the lines – a testament to Delaune’s skill with the burin, the engraving tool. The crispness and detail of the engraving lent itself well to the transmission of information, and mass production through printing was well underway in the 16th century. Prints like this one were relatively inexpensive and widely circulated. By attending to the materiality and making of this print, we can appreciate it not just as an image, but as an object deeply embedded in the social and economic context of its time, blurring the lines between art and craft.