The Virgin seated with her head resting on her right hand, holding the sleeping infant Christ on her lap, after Reni 1623 - 1680

Jean Boulanger made this print after a painting by Guido Reni, likely in France sometime in the mid-17th century. Prints like this one played a crucial role in the art world of the time. Before photography, prints were the way that images circulated. Printmakers like Boulanger were essentially image distributors, interpreters, and even tastemakers. The economics of printmaking also allowed a wider audience to access imagery and art ideas. Consider the implications of a religious image like this becoming available for private devotion in the home. To fully understand this print, we might research the institutions that supported printmaking at the time, such as royal academies or private workshops. We could also look at the social status of printmakers and the market for religious imagery in 17th-century France. This kind of historical research helps us see how art is always embedded in its specific time and place.