Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: A Papal Gathering in the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Last Judgement on the back wall; the crowd looks on through a screen 1582

This print, made by Giovanni Ambrogio Brambilla around 1590, captures a papal gathering in the Sistine Chapel. It’s a meticulously etched image, created using a process that demands precision and control, a stark contrast to the implied chaos of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgement” looming in the background. The material is paper, but the real story is in the making. Lines are incised into a metal plate, likely copper, with a tool called a burin. Ink is then forced into these lines, and the image is transferred to paper under immense pressure. Look closely, and you can see the dense cross-hatching that gives the print its tonal range, a testament to the engraver’s skill and time. This wasn’t just a way to reproduce images; it was a means of disseminating power. The print celebrates the grandeur of the Catholic Church, presenting it as an ordered spectacle. Yet, the very act of printing – a relatively new technology at the time – hints at the wider social shifts at play, a world in which images could be multiplied and distributed, subtly challenging the Church’s exclusive authority. It's a reminder that even the most seemingly straightforward images are shaped by the materials, processes, and social forces of their time.