Madonna and Child with Saint John c. 19th century

Editor: This is Caterina Piotti-Pirola's "Madonna and Child with Saint John," currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. It's quite tender, but the figures seem a little stiff. What do you see in it? Curator: Considering Piotti-Pirola's 19th-century context, I find myself drawn to the engraving technique used to reproduce this image. How does the mechanical reproduction influence its reception compared to an original painting? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't considered the impact of it being an engraving. Curator: Think about the access it provided. Were these prints circulated amongst the working class as devotional objects, thus democratizing religious iconography? Editor: So, the material and the means of production actually changed the work's role in society. Fascinating!