Balaam and His Ass 16th-17th century

Editor: Here we have Johann Sadeler's "Balaam and His Ass," an engraving. It feels so theatrical, almost staged. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Look at the labor involved in producing this print. The engraver meticulously transferred an image onto a metal plate, using tools to create lines that would hold ink. It was a commercial product, a means of disseminating biblical stories. Editor: So, it's less about high art and more about the process of making and distribution? Curator: Exactly. How does its creation as a commodity affect its reception? Consider who would have purchased this and how it might have been used. Editor: That definitely shifts my perspective. I see it less as a standalone artwork and more as part of a larger system of production and consumption. Curator: Precisely. It's a window into the material conditions of artmaking in the 16th century.