Virgin of the Long Thigh; the Virgin reclining on the ground her left leg outstretched supporting the infant Christ who reaches across to the infant John the Baptist, Joseph seated at left, buildings in the background 1513 - 1523

Editor: This is "Virgin of the Long Thigh," a print made in ink by Marco Dente, sometime between 1513 and 1523. It's currently housed at the Met. The Virgin Mary is depicted reclining, and there’s almost a domestic quality, yet it also feels very formal. What’s your perspective on it? Curator: I see a fascinating intersection of labor and idealization. Look at the medium – a print. This inherently speaks to reproducibility and distribution, widening the availability of such imagery. Consider, too, the labour involved in the *making* of this print – the skilled hand required to create such fine lines, the workshop practices it implies. Editor: So, beyond the religious subject matter, you see it more as an artifact of production? Curator: Precisely. And more than just production, the *materials* themselves. The ink, the paper. Where did they come from? How were they produced? These raw materials and their transformations carry stories of trade, exploitation, and human effort. How does the use of printmaking democratize, or perhaps commodify, the image of the Virgin? Editor: That's an interesting way to look at it, making me think about who could afford it and what that signified. But also that people now owned these pictures, versus only seeing them in churches. Curator: Exactly. Consider how the consumption of this print reinforces or challenges existing social structures. It allows us to question the very definition of "high art" versus functional or decorative objects. Editor: I never thought about the implications of ink and paper themselves being so critical. It broadens the whole conversation! Curator: It’s all about shifting our focus, moving beyond just the iconography.