Adoration of the Magi 1540 - 1550

Editor: We're looking at "Adoration of the Magi," a print by Niccolò Vicentino, created sometime between 1540 and 1550. The sepia tones give it a slightly haunting, ethereal quality. What strikes me is the evident process in building up the image – you can see all the different lines that made it! How would you interpret this work? Curator: What I see here is not just an image, but a record of production, labor and the material conditions of making art in 16th-century Italy. Vicentino's choice of printmaking, specifically chiaroscuro woodcut, which requires multiple blocks and thus, multiple steps and possibly artisans, becomes significant. Editor: Right, because he’s almost flaunting the labor involved? Curator: Exactly. The visible lines, the layered ink, the "toned paper" as they call it-- it all calls attention to the process. Rather than concealing the labor behind a seamless illusion, he foregrounds it. It asks us to consider the economic structure around printmaking. Who was buying these? What purpose did multiple states serve? This challenges traditional notions of the "original" and the copy, doesn’t it? Editor: It does. So it’s less about the biblical scene itself and more about the artistic production, almost democratizing the image through reproduction and emphasizing craft. How would that impact the consumption of art at the time? Curator: It’s all about circulation. These prints made imagery accessible beyond wealthy patrons who commissioned paintings, influencing visual culture much more broadly. Each print is evidence of production and an invitation to challenge artistic authority and exclusivity. Editor: This has made me appreciate prints so much more. I hadn't considered their role in democratizing art and the importance of the labour behind each image! Curator: Precisely! Seeing art through the lens of production allows us to move past simple aesthetics. We can analyse power, economics, and distribution inherent within art objects.