Fotoreproductie van een prent naar een karton voor een tapijt door Rafaël, voorstellend een offer te Lystra before 1861

Gustav Schauer made this photogravure reproduction of a print after Raphael, showing a sacrifice at Lystra, in the 19th century. The scene reproduces one of the Raphael Cartoons, commissioned in 1515 by Pope Leo X for tapestries in the Vatican. Tapestries were luxury goods, woven in workshops with complex social hierarchies and business arrangements. This photogravure then, is many steps removed from the original, disseminating the image further afield. It’s telling that this scene from the Acts of the Apostles, in which the Apostle Paul prevents the people of Lystra from sacrificing to him as a god, was chosen for monumental display. The Catholic Church in the 16th century was keen to assert the unique status of God and warn against idolatry. The reproduction of this print in 19th-century Germany suggests the themes remained relevant. Understanding the politics of imagery requires historical context and attention to how institutions shape the production and reception of art. Examining archival records and workshop practices can help to reveal this.