Madonna and Child 1752

Editor: This is Jean Daullé's "Madonna and Child," a print located at the Harvard Art Museums. I'm struck by the detail achieved in the engraving. What can you tell me about its creation and context? Curator: Well, consider the means of production. Daullé was a renowned engraver. His skill transformed another artist's painting into a reproducible image. This speaks to the rise of printmaking and its impact on art consumption. Did this democratize art, or simply create a new form of elite commodity? Editor: So, it's about the transformation and accessibility of the image itself? Curator: Precisely. The material process shaped its reception. It raises questions about value, labor, and the social life of art. What do you make of that? Editor: It's fascinating to think about art as a product of its time, shaped by the means of its creation and distribution.