Piazza Navona te Rome c. 1750 - 1799

This etching of the Piazza Navona in Rome was made by Domenico Montaigù. He used an intaglio printmaking technique, where lines are incised into a metal plate, and then filled with ink to create the image. Montaigù's engraving captures not only the architecture of the Piazza, but also the bustling street life. The etching technique itself, with its fine lines and ability to capture detail, mirrors the precision and skill involved in the construction of the buildings it depicts. Note the careful rendering of the stonework, the windows, and the statuary. Engravings like this one were often made for a growing tourist market, enabling viewers from afar to experience the grandeur of Rome, and were also powerful tools of representation, documenting the achievements of powerful patrons. This print, dedicated to Cardinal Prospero Colonna di Sciarra, speaks to the complex relationship between art, power, and the burgeoning culture of consumption in the early modern world. It reminds us that even seemingly straightforward depictions can be deeply embedded in the social and economic realities of their time.