Saint Jerome in Penitence

The Bolognese artist Agostino Carracci died before finishing this print. The partially engraved copper plate was printed after his death—hence the unusual appearance of this impression, which provides invaluable insight into Carracci’s process. The artist began by scratching the general outlines of the composition onto the plate. He then moved on to defining the figure and introducing shading using lines engraved with a sharp steel tool called a burin, starting at the center and working outward.