Landscape in a Frame 1537 - 1550

This anonymous print, "Landscape in a Frame", presents us with a puzzle of culture and context. Its formal qualities suggest it may have been made in Italy during the Renaissance. The image, framed with mythological figures, depicts a classical landscape. Temples and reclining figures evoke an idealized past, but how might this image function in its own time? The print medium suggests a wider audience than unique paintings afforded, implying a desire to disseminate classical ideals more broadly. Was this an attempt to educate, to elevate the tastes of a rising merchant class, or to naturalize the power of existing elites by associating them with the glory of antiquity? Perhaps the image speaks to the increasing popularity of the Grand Tour and the desire for a more mobile and accessible means of bringing the landscape home. Understanding this print requires looking into the history of printmaking, the patronage system of the Renaissance, and the social functions of art institutions. Only then can we begin to understand its place in the world.