Adoration of the Kings c. 16th century

Editor: This is Hieronymus Cock's "Adoration of the Kings," an engraving. The detail is incredible! It makes me wonder about the printing process. What do you see in this piece, considering how it was made and its place in society? Curator: The engraving technique itself is crucial. Consider the labor involved in creating the matrix, the press used for printing, and how these prints were distributed. Were they for the elite, or did they have a broader circulation, shaping popular perceptions of religious narratives? Editor: So it's less about the biblical scene itself and more about how the image reached its audience? Curator: Precisely. The choice of engraving, the scale of production, and the distribution networks all tell us about the social function and economic context of this image. Think about the materials used – the metal plate, the ink, the paper – and how those materials themselves contributed to its meaning. Editor: I see. It reframes how I consider art; it's not just about the subject, but the whole system that brought it into being. Curator: Exactly! It pushes us to question the traditional divide between "high art" and craft by examining the labor, materiality, and consumption that shaped its existence.