Mantegna was the first major painter in Italy to involve himself in printing techniques. Copperplate, which had been developed in southern Germany around 1430 made it possible to produce finer reproductions than with woodcuts, which had been used until then. Vasari described Mantegna as the decisive influence in the development of copperplate engraving in Italy. Although Mantegna was happy to experiment with the new medium, he left the reproduction of his works to professional engravers, of whose works he was highly critical. Printing enabled Mantegna to earn extra money, and to disseminate his creative inventions.

Drawing and printing were also an area where new ideas could be tried out. Albrecht Dürer, who was to be the most important graphic artist of the early 16th century, was particularly interested in Mantegna's engravings. He became acquainted with graphic works by Mantegna during his journeys to Italy, and he copied two of Mantegna's engravings, the Battle of the Sea Gods, and the Bacchanalia with a Wine Vat. These fine drawings in the Albertina, Vienna are proof of the great respect the young Dürer had for the older master, as well as testimony to the success of Mantegna's engravings.

Preview	Picture Data	File Info	Comment
	Bacchanalia with a Wine Vat c. 1470 Copperplate engraving, 335 x 455 mm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York	1200*800 True Color 233 Kb
	Portrait of a Man 1470-75 Black chalk on discoloured grayish brown paper, 342 x 250 mm Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie, Besançon	694*950 True Color 130 Kb
	Portrait of a Man 1470-75 Black chalk on discoloured grayish brown paper, 339 x 235 mm Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie, Besançon	688*950 True Color 105 Kb
	Self-portrait in the style of Medusa c. 1474 Pen, brush, part iron gall ink, browned white paper, 124 x 99 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	656*800 True Color 146 Kb
	Battle of the Sea Gods 1470s Engraving and drypoint, 283 x 826 mm Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth	1500*505 Grayscale 162 Kb
	Battle of Two Sea Monsters c. 1475 Engraving Gabinetto Nazionale delle Stampe, Rome	1078*770 True Color 208 Kb
	Battle of the Sea Gods c. 1493 Engraving, 295 x 397 mm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York	1208*900 True Color 223 Kb
	Virgin and Child 1480-85 Engraving, 262 x 233 mm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York	709*800 True Color 118 Kb
	Virgin and Child 1490-91 Engraving, 217 x 189 mm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg	701*800 True Color 156 Kb
	Virgin and Child 1475-80 Engraving, 390 x 282 mm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam	1000*1025 True Color 164 Kb
	Judith 1491 Drawing, 388 x 258 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence	665*1000 True Color 104 Kb
	Francesco II Gonzaga 1490s Black chalk, highlighting with brush, and white gouach on greenish paper, 347 x 328 mm National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin	688*1000 True Color 161 Kb
	The Calumny of Apelles 1504-06 Pen and ink, 206 x 379 mm British Museum, London	1408*650 True Color 132 Kb
	Statue of Virgil 1490s Drawing Musée du Louvre, Paris	668*1000 True Color 117 Kb