An avenue lined with statues in a pine forest, jets of water issuing from the ground, various figures in center, a small building in background center, from 'Views of the villa at Pratolino' (Vues de la villa de Pratolino) 1648 - 1658

This print, "Views of the Villa at Pratolino," was made by Stefano della Bella in the mid-17th century using etching. Think of etching as a kind of controlled drawing with acid. Della Bella would have coated a metal plate with a waxy ground, scratched his design into it, and then submerged the plate in acid, which bit into the exposed lines. Look closely, and you can see the effect. The etched line has a crisp, almost mechanical quality, very different from a freehand drawing. This was the appeal of printmaking: the ability to produce identical images in quantity. Etchings like this one, made with relatively little labor, allowed for the mass distribution of images. This view of the Villa at Pratolino, with its statuary, fountains, and formal gardens, celebrates aristocratic leisure. But the print itself is a product of a different kind of labor, skilled and precise, creating an image to be consumed by a wider audience. In this way, the print reflects the shifting social dynamics of early modern Europe.