Ordination, from "The Seven Sacraments" 1765

"Ordination," was made by Lorenzo Zucchi, an Italian engraver, sometime in the 1700s. It's a print on paper depicting a Christian sacrament. What makes a print like this so interesting is that it relies on a matrix – usually a metal plate – that has been worked and reworked by the engraver. The burin, a tool held in the hand, pushes slivers of copper or steel aside. It’s a physically demanding, painstaking task, and this accounts for the dense network of lines that create the image. Look closely, and you can see how Zucchi has used the graphic texture to model faces and fabrics, convey light and shadow. The print medium allowed for the wide distribution of images – a reflection of the printmaker's own labor and the social context of its making. It’s a relatively democratic art form, made accessible by the reproducibility inherent in the process. So, next time you see a print, remember the labor, the skill, and the intention that went into its creation.