Aanval op de bergvesting Colle dell'Assietta 1754

Curator: We're looking at "Aanval op de bergvesting Colle dell'Assietta," created in 1754 by Hyacinth de La Pegna. Editor: It has a real frenetic energy about it! The lines are incredibly detailed, chaotic almost, but compelling. Curator: This print depicts the attack on Colle dell'Assietta, a pivotal battle in the War of the Austrian Succession. The piece offers insight into the historical and military context of the 18th century. The image was intended to memorialize a specific vision of Savoyard heroism. Editor: The means of production would be my main question—the marks feel so spontaneous, yet an engraving demands careful planning. Is it attempting to convey on-the-spot reportage when, in fact, its medium dictates laborious crafting? Also, what specific types of metal and tools would La Pegna have employed to realize all these subtle gradations and depths of field? Curator: Consider its political role, too! Images such as these bolstered Savoyard national identity in the wake of various conflicts. Its style is carefully constructed to portray Duke Charles Emmanuel III's forces as strategic victors rather than acknowledging, for instance, the degree to which sheer fortune dictated their circumstances that day. Editor: The consumption of imagery—in a moment—versus the consumption of materials used to create it is so interesting! Its light, almost ephemeral aesthetic belies a history embedded in extraction, labor and craft. It's all layered in the print medium. Curator: Exactly, that relationship—between the image circulated and its sociopolitical repercussions—lies at the core of interpreting this piece within the era it reflects. Thanks for reminding us of the layers it contains! Editor: A welcome clash between making and its public legacy, then. I'll certainly think of those contrasting meanings the next time I see an engraving.