The Maker's Knowledge: Production and Analysis of Ugo da Carpi's David Slaying Goliath

Abstract

This study explores the technique and materials used in the making of the University of Arizona Museum of Art's sixteenth-century chiaroscuro woodcut print David Slaying Goliath. It also poses the question of: was this print produced by Ugo da Carpi or another workshop of the sixteenth century? Through observations of the composition, materials used, and the chiaroscuro woodcut technique, I analyze Ugo da Carp's mark-making method to determine how this print was made. I argue that we find evidence of the alteration of Ugo's woodblocks and this print's production by another workshop, which accounts for the poor quality of the materials used and the overall craftsmanship. To better understand printmaking materials, techniques, and technologies, I learned intaglio printmaking and mimicked the mark-making methods of these early modern printmakers and carvers through etching and engraving processes.