A Bacchanal 1530 - 1561

Battista Franco made this print, A Bacchanal, sometime in the mid-16th century. It's an etching on paper, which means Franco would have covered a metal plate with a waxy ground, scratched his design into it, and then bathed the plate in acid. The acid bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves that hold ink. The character of the line in the print—precise and controlled—was all down to the artist’s hand. It's not just the image itself, but the labor involved in its creation that gives the print meaning. Think about the skill required to manipulate tools and materials, the hours spent perfecting technique. In Franco’s time, prints like this were luxury items. They circulated widely, spreading artistic ideas and stimulating demand for original artworks. But they also democratized images, making them accessible to a wider audience. Appreciating the material and the making helps us understand its cultural significance.