Apostel Bartolomeüs met mes 1517 - 1577

This is Apostel Bartolomeüs met mes, an engraving made by an anonymous artist. The image is formed through carefully incised lines on a metal plate, likely copper, which would have then been inked and pressed onto paper. Look closely, and you can see how the density and direction of the lines create shading, texture, and form, bringing Saint Bartholomew to life. The image has a crisp, graphic quality, a direct result of the engraver’s skillful manipulation of the burin - the tool used to carve lines into the metal. This painstaking process demanded precision and control, and the resulting print could then be reproduced multiple times, making art more accessible. Engraving like this was not just about aesthetics; it was deeply tied to the rise of print culture and the spread of information. The labor-intensive process reflects a pre-industrial mode of production, where skilled handwork was central to both the creation and dissemination of images. The image speaks to the intersection of craft, art, and the broader social context of its time.