Broadside with 48 scenes illustrating passages of holy scripture (Part I) 1868

Antonio Bosch created this broadside of 48 scenes illustrating passages of holy scripture sometime between 1860 and 1880. The images in this print were based on holy scripture. The use of easily reproducible printmaking techniques allowed Bosch to disseminate these biblical images, and, by extension, their religious and moral teachings, among a wide audience. Bosch was part of a network of printmakers and publishers operating in Spain at this time. He would sell these prints from his home and they were printed by the “Imp. de los Hijos de Domenech”, attesting to the developing print industry in Barcelona in the late 19th century. The distribution of printed images also had a political dimension as they became powerful tools for shaping public opinion and disseminating ideologies. The study of this print requires attention to the network of printmakers who produced it, the audiences who consumed it, and the broader social and political context in which it was made. The image reminds us that the meaning of art is always contingent on the specific historical and institutional circumstances in which it is created and received.