Fonte Battesimale Nella Chiesa Di San Giovanni Evangelista 1900

Giuseppe Barberis captured this baptismal font in the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista with skilled strokes of pen and ink. The print captures the weight and texture of the stone, showcasing its carved surfaces and the figures set within arches. The process of carving stone demands patience and precision, skills honed over years of practice. Each strike of the chisel requires control, transforming raw material into refined form. We can imagine Barberis studying the light as it played across the font’s surface, translating this three-dimensional presence into lines on paper. The image also reminds us of the social context of religious art. The creation of such an object would have involved a network of patrons, artisans, and laborers, each contributing to its realization. By focusing on the materiality and making of the font, we gain insight into the cultural values that were at play in its creation, and the skilled traditions that straddle both craft and fine art.