Emperors Charles V and Ferdinand I
1531
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1531
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This print shows two crowned men sitting side by side. Their faces look alike—brothers, you’d guess. The artist cut this picture into iron, then inked the lines and pressed paper onto them. The brothers’ clothes are heavy with detail yet the faces feel alive. That’s the trick of etching: the artist scratches fine lines into metal, then prints them. Here the lines are sharp around the eyes, softer in shadows. Try an etching by Albrecht Dürer next.
