Straatverkoper van kippenkoppen en kippenlevers 1660

This print of a street vendor of chicken parts was made in Bologna around 1660 by Giuseppe Maria Mitelli, using etching and engraving techniques. Notice the crisp lines of the vendor's figure, achieved by incising into a metal plate. He carries a tray laden with chicken heads and livers, ordinary materials elevated to art through printmaking. The image is charged with a social significance too: the man's somewhat rough appearance suggests a life of hard labor. The presence of a knife is a reminder of the practical skills and tools necessary for his trade. Mitelli engaged with both the traditions of fine art and the everyday realities of street life. Printmaking allowed for the mass production of images, making art accessible beyond elite circles, speaking to a wider audience about the realities of labor, consumption, and the social fabric of 17th-century Bologna.