Titelprent met ornament en titel 1776

This is a title print with ornament, made by Placido Columbani, its date unknown. The technique here is crucial: it's an etching, created by incising lines into a metal plate, inking it, and then pressing it onto paper. This was a reproductive technology, which allowed images to be made in multiples. The designs here, of chimney pieces, are highly ornamental, showing how even functional objects were once conceived as occasions for lavish decoration. Note the incredible detail, which testifies to Columbani’s skill. But that skill was, in a sense, also a kind of labor. He was producing images for consumption, and therefore participating in a wider economic system. Ultimately, this print asks us to consider how aesthetics and industry were intertwined in the 18th century. It’s not just a pretty picture; it’s evidence of a whole system of production and consumption, one that continues to shape our world today.