Jupiter in a Landscape 1696

This print, *Jupiter in a Landscape*, was made by Crescenzio Onofri in the 17th century. It's an etching, meaning the design was first incised into a metal plate, probably copper, using a sharp needle to expose the metal. The plate was then submerged in acid, which bit into the exposed lines, creating grooves. To create the image, Onofri would have applied ink to the plate, carefully wiping away the excess from the surface, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Dampened paper was then pressed onto the plate, transferring the ink and creating the print. The quality of the lines, varying from delicate to bold, speaks to the artist's skill in controlling the pressure and angle of the etching needle. Prints like this were relatively inexpensive to produce, allowing for wider distribution of imagery at a time before photography. They were a form of visual mass media, connecting people across geographical distances through shared imagery.