Saint Joseph holding the infant Christ, who raises up his hands, an oval composition, after Reni 1595 - 1660

This print of Saint Joseph holding the infant Christ was made anonymously, after Guido Reni, and its exact date is unknown. What does it mean that it's based on Reni? Prints like this one played an important role in the history of art institutions. Religious imagery was very popular in seventeenth-century Europe, and circulated widely. When art academies were founded in Italy, France, and elsewhere, they emphasized learning from earlier masters by copying their works. This print is part of that world: it copies the style and composition of a painting by Guido Reni, a famous Italian artist, making his design available to a wider audience. But it is also anonymous. The design and the status of the original artist are preserved, but the labour of the printmaker is erased. To better understand this image, we might research the history of printmaking, or study the founding of art academies. The meaning of this image lies not just in its religious subject, but in its place within a changing artistic and social landscape.