Het Geloof een vrouw naar het Paradijs brengende 1752 - 1815

This is a print made by Francesco Bartolozzi, likely in the late 1700s, using a technique called stipple engraving. Bartolozzi wasn’t cutting lines into a metal plate like an old master, he was using a cluster of tiny dots to create an image. Look closely, and you can see how the figures emerge gradually from the background through careful gradations. This gives the scene a soft, ethereal quality, perfect for the subject matter - faith leading a woman to paradise, complete with a cloud of cherubic witnesses. Stipple engraving was something of a specialty for Bartolozzi, and it made him famous. The prints could be produced in multiples, meaning more people had access to images than ever before. In this way, Bartolozzi’s practice speaks to a wider social shift - art making as a form of industry, catering to a growing consumer class. Ultimately, by considering the techniques used in this print, we can see it as much more than a religious image; it's also a product of a changing world.