Saint Jerome, unfinished

This engraving of Saint Jerome is unfinished because Agostino died while he was working on it. The misfortune of one of the most skillful engravers of his time allows us to see his working methods. After scratching his copper plate to rough-in the design, he began to engrave the image, apparently starting with the most important parts. The casual scratching in open parts of the paper creates a sharp contrast with the mesmerizing, high precision of the burin (engraving tool). The truncated composition has a remarkably modern, sculptural form.