Zes veelvlakken met een stervormige tetraëder als uitgangspunt 1568

This is an engraving called "Six polyhedra based on a star-shaped tetrahedron," made by Jost Amman in around 1586 in Nuremberg, Germany. It depicts six variations on a complex geometric form. At this time, the Holy Roman Empire was a patchwork of territories in which humanist philosophy and scientific inquiry thrived alongside traditional religion. Interest in mathematics was growing, informed by newly available classical texts. Amman was a printmaker and book illustrator who worked at the intersection of art and science. His images helped disseminate new ideas to a wider audience. This print demonstrates how artists played a role in making mathematical concepts more accessible and visually appealing. It suggests how the rise of scientific thinking was changing the nature of art itself. To understand this artwork more fully, we can consult historical texts on geometry and optics, and consider how the institutions of art and science supported new modes of visual representation.