Veduta delle antiche sostrurioni del Monte Aventino 1823

Luigi Rossini made this print, *Veduta delle antiche sostrurioni del Monte Aventino,* using etching, a painstaking process that allows for incredible detail. Think of the artist, bent over a metal plate, carefully drawing through a waxy ground to expose the metal. The plate is then bathed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves that will hold ink. Rossini then wipes ink across the plate, forcing it into the etched lines. The surface is carefully cleaned, and the plate is pressed onto paper. The final image emerges, a mirror of the artist’s original drawing. The linear precision highlights the ancient Roman architecture. Rossini uses the etching to capture the textures of weathered stone, the rough-hewn surfaces bearing witness to centuries of labor. The scene is both a picturesque view and a record of human effort, connecting us to the hands that built these structures long ago. Considering the labor-intensive printmaking process alongside the ancient architecture reminds us of the enduring connection between materials, making, and the passage of time.