The Devoted Kissing the Feet of Saint Peter 1810

Curator: Bartolomeo Pinelli, born in 1781, rendered this etching, "The Devoted Kissing the Feet of Saint Peter." Editor: The linear quality gives it a sense of movement despite the static subject matter. It feels like an immediate record of a scene. Curator: It's fascinating to consider how this scene normalizes power dynamics through religious devotion. Consider the social implications of this physical submission, especially in relation to gender and class. Editor: And the process of etching itself—the labor involved in creating these lines, the acid biting into the metal—reflects the endurance of belief systems depicted. Curator: Precisely. Pinelli's work gives us a glimpse into the intersection of faith, art, and the shaping of societal structures. Editor: It makes you consider how deeply material practice and symbolic practice are intertwined.