Group of statues represnting Peace, supported by Neptune and Mars 1736 - 1786

This print, made by Jacob Bonneau in the 1700s, depicts a sculptural group in ink on paper. This was a time before photography, so prints like these were used to disseminate visual information. Look closely and you’ll see the image is constructed from thousands of tiny lines. Bonneau would have used a technique like etching or engraving, painstakingly incising these lines into a metal plate. The plate is then inked and pressed onto paper, transferring the image. It's a labor-intensive process, requiring a high degree of skill. The print emulates a classical sculpture, which would also be labor intensive. Note how Bonneau uses line and shading to suggest depth and texture, mimicking the play of light on stone. In its own way, the print is as much a feat of craftsmanship as the sculpture it represents. Considering the material and method of its making helps us appreciate the print as a valuable object in its own right, and the labor involved. This piece allows us to challenge the idea that ‘fine art’ mediums like sculpture are of higher value than ‘craft’ media like printmaking.