Christopher Plantin c. 1583

This is Hendrick Goltzius’s print of Christopher Plantin. It’s a black line engraving, a precise medium that uses a tool called a burin to directly incise lines into a metal plate. The effect is a clean and meticulous image. Look closely and you’ll see how the varying density of the hatching creates tone and volume. Of course, the printmaking process is itself relevant here. Plantin was the most important printer and publisher of his day, based in Antwerp. This portrait is as much about his profession as it is about the man himself. Note that he is shown holding a pair of dividers, and that his motto is ‘Labore et Constantia’ – ‘By Labour and Constancy’. Through the circulation of prints, Plantin built an early media empire. The engraving medium, which allowed for the creation of multiple exact copies, was central to this achievement. So this image not only depicts Plantin, but embodies the very means of his success.