Temple of Fortuna Virilis c. 19th century

Editor: This is Luigi Rossini's etching, "Temple of Fortuna Virilis". The printmaking process captures such incredible detail in the stone and architecture, and it makes me wonder about the labor involved. How do you see the materiality of this print connecting to its historical context? Curator: Rossini’s print underscores the consumption of antiquity. Etchings like these were commodities, feeding a market hungry for images of Rome’s past. Notice the meticulous detail – the very process mimics the painstaking labor involved in the original Roman construction, now commodified for a modern audience. It's a circulation of cultural capital. Editor: That's fascinating. So, the print itself becomes a form of cultural exchange through labor and materials? Curator: Precisely. The materiality of the print is integral to understanding its role in shaping perceptions of Roman antiquity. Editor: I never considered that. Seeing art as a product of labor really changes my perspective.