Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Two Dogs 1558

Sebastiano di Re made this print, Two Dogs, sometime between 1557 and 1563. It is part of a series called Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae, a collection showing important Roman monuments and sculptures. This print reflects the 16th-century fascination with classical antiquity, but it also exposes the social function of art at the time. The series was commissioned to display the wealth and culture of Rome. Notice the inscription in the upper-left corner, which translates to something along the lines of ‘two marble dogs of outstanding size’. It's not just about art, it's about bragging rights. Prints like these were not just documentation; they were instruments of cultural power, intended to impress and inspire those who saw them. They tell us a lot about the values of the elite class who commissioned and collected them. To understand this print fully, one might look at the history of collecting in the Renaissance, the role of printmaking in disseminating knowledge, and the social meanings attached to classical art. These prints were made to shape opinions and bolster prestige, and we can analyze them to better understand the world they were made in.