Portret van kardinaal Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, de latere paus Benedictus XIV 1728 - 1731

This print of Cardinal Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, later Pope Benedict XIV, was made by Gasparo Massi using engraving techniques sometime in the first half of the 18th century. Engraving is an intaglio process, where the design is cut into a metal plate, typically copper, using a tool called a burin. The incised lines hold ink, and the image is transferred to paper under high pressure. Look closely, and you’ll notice the precise, clean lines that define the Cardinal’s features and vestments. The skill required for engraving demanded years of apprenticeship, making prints luxury items. As a reproductive medium, engraving played a crucial role in disseminating images and ideas across Europe. While seemingly modest, this print exemplifies the intricate relationship between skilled labor, material production, and the spread of cultural and political influence in the 1700s. It invites us to consider the economics and the social networks that underpinned artistic production during this period.