Portret van Pietro Vettori 1587 - 1606

This is Philips Galle’s portrait of Pietro Vettori, made sometime around 1600. It’s an engraving: a print pulled from a metal plate, probably copper, into which the image has been incised. If you look closely, you can see how the engraver used complex, interlacing lines to define the form. Notice how the hatching follows the contours of Vettori’s face and the folds of his fur-lined coat. The density of lines determines the tones, from the brightest highlights to the deepest shadows. It's a tour-de-force of controlled mark-making. Engraving like this was a highly skilled, laborious craft. An engraver needed years of training to master the burin, the sharp tool used to cut the lines. While Galle likely made this print as a way to disseminate Vettori’s image, it’s also a testament to his own virtuosity. It shows how printmaking, often considered a “minor art,” could achieve incredible levels of refinement. By appreciating the craft of the engraving, we recognize the labor and skill involved in its creation.