Plutarch
1601
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1601
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Plutarch is a 1601 ink by Léonard Gaultier, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white engraving shows an older man with a long beard and deep wrinkles. He’s holding an open book in his left hand while his right hand rests on it. The background is plain, but his robe folds are detailed, and the text around him spells out "PLUTARCH" in big letters. The artist used fine lines to create shadows and texture, especially in the beard and fabric. This kind of shading is called cross-hatching. Next, look up technique: engraving to see how artists like this made prints.
Léonard Gaultier, or, as he sometimes signed himself, Galter, a French engraver, was born at Mainz about 1561, and died in Paris in 1641.
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