Half of Building [Templum Saturni] from the series 'Ruinarum variarum fabricarum delineationes pictoribus caeterisque id genus artificibus multum utiles' 1554

This print of half of a building, the Templum Saturni, was created by Lambert Suavius sometime in the 16th century. It’s an etching, meaning that the artist covered a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratched an image into the wax. When the plate was bathed in acid, the exposed lines were eaten away. What I find fascinating about prints like this, is that the image is brought into being through a complex process of material transformation. The acid biting into the plate; the pressure of the printing press forcing ink onto paper. Suavius no doubt wanted to represent the grandeur of Roman architecture, yet the method he uses transforms stone and mortar into something much more delicate. Consider too, that the image would have been reproduced many times, crossing borders and social strata. This reminds us that even a unique artwork is brought into being through the division of labor and techniques of reproduction.