Knight of Malta (self-portrait?), a bust-length portrait in a twelve-sided frame

Printmaking in woodcut and engraving came to Northern Italy within a few decades of their invention north of the Alps. Engraving probably came first to Florence in the 1440s, the goldsmith Maso Finiguerra (1426–64) used the technique. Italian engraving caught the very early Renaissance, 1460–1490. Print copying was a widely accepted practice, as well as copying of paintings viewed as images in their own right.

Ottavio Leoni (1578-1630) was an Italian painter and printmaker of the Baroque period, best known for his portraits. He was born in Rome and trained in the workshop of the Flemish painter Paul Brill. Leoni's early work was influenced by the style of Caravaggio, but he later developed his own distinctive approach to portraiture. Leoni became renowned for his ability to capture the likeness and character of his sitters. He painted portraits of many notable figures of his time, including members of the papal court, aristocrats and scholars. His portraits are characterised by meticulous attention to detail, lifelike rendering and psychological insight. In addition to painting, Ottavio Leoni was also a talented printmaker.