Porch View of the insignia Vatican Basilica and Piazza adjacent coll`ampio 

Giovanni Battista Piranesi made this etching of the Vatican Basilica and Piazza in the 18th century. Etching is an intaglio printmaking method, meaning that the image is incised into a metal plate, usually copper. The plate is covered with a waxy, acid-resistant ground. The artist scratches an image into this ground with a needle, exposing the metal. The plate is then submerged in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating recessed lines. Ink is applied to the plate and then wiped off the surface, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Finally, damp paper is pressed against the plate, transferring the ink and creating the print. Piranesi's sharp lines and dramatic contrasts capture the grandeur of the Basilica and Piazza, but also hints at the labor required to build and maintain such a monumental space. The etching process itself demands considerable skill and time, mirroring the architectural endeavor it depicts. By focusing on the materiality and making of the image, we recognize the social and cultural values embedded in both the artwork and its subject.