Philosophy 1550

Editor: This is Giorgio Ghisi’s engraving, "Philosophy." It's incredibly detailed. How was this level of precision achieved in the 16th century? Curator: The engraving process itself is key. The labor-intensive method involves meticulously cutting lines into a metal plate. Each line represents the transfer of intellectual concept to a material reality. Note the social status implied by the garments: how do you see that reflected in the depiction of labor? Editor: I hadn't considered that! The clothing shows that work isn't always manual. Thank you for that insight.