Triomftocht van Julius Caesar 1599

Andrea Andreani made this depiction of the Triumphal Procession of Julius Caesar from several wood blocks, using a chiaroscuro process, sometime between 1588 and 1629. Chiaroscuro woodcuts like this one, printed with multiple blocks, each applying a different tone, were objects of great ingenuity, requiring a real mastery of technique. Woodcuts involve the removal of material, a painstaking process done by hand. This particular print is based on paintings by Andrea Mantegna, who originally executed his version in tempera – a relatively quick medium. Andreani was therefore paying homage to Mantegna, but also making a point about the skill and time involved in printmaking. Prints such as these allowed for wider distribution of imagery, functioning within an emerging market for art. Andreani both demonstrates and participates in a new economy of aesthetics. The print is not just an image, but also an artifact of labor.