Titelprent met een ornamenteel cartouche met putti en titel 1745 - 1765

This print, a title page with an ornamental cartouche, was made by Lorenzo Lorenzi in the late 18th century. It’s an etching, meaning that the design was first bitten into a metal plate with acid, then inked and printed. Consider the process: the etcher had to be incredibly skilled, able to render these delicate flourishes and figures. He would have used specialized tools to create the fine lines and textures. This wasn't just about artistic vision. It was about mastering a demanding, time-consuming technique. The very nature of printmaking also speaks to social context. It was a way to disseminate images and ideas widely, making them accessible to a broader audience. The labour to produce the plates would have been significant, yet the print could have been circulated relatively cheaply. Thinking about materials and making helps us understand the social and economic forces at play in this seemingly simple image. It prompts us to question the traditional hierarchies of art and craft.