Fotoreproductie van een gravure naar De kroning van Maria door Giulio Romano in het Vaticaan before 1868

This is a photographic reproduction of an engraving after Giulio Romano's "Coronation of the Virgin." While Romano conceived the original image, this version relies on the industrialization of image-making. Engraving is itself a labor-intensive process. A design is cut into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. This allows for the wide distribution of images, democratizing art but also turning it into a commodity. Photography takes this a step further. The camera captures the image, and chemical processes render it permanent on paper. Look closely, and you'll see the tonal range achieved. It gives depth to the scene, mimicking the effects of light and shadow. The photographic reproduction also flattens the original engraving, losing some of the tactile quality inherent in the incised lines of the metal plate. By understanding the material processes involved, we can appreciate how technologies transform artistic expression, and how these are tied to wider social issues of labor, politics and consumption. It challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.