Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Temple near the Appian Way 1530 - 1580

This print, of an unidentifiable temple near the Appian Way, was made using an engraving technique. The artist, whose name we don’t know, would have used a tool called a burin to incise lines into a copper plate. The precise, uniform lines of the print give a sense of the building’s structure and the textures of its stone surfaces. Look closely, and you can see how the hatching and cross-hatching are used to create tone and volume. Because printmaking enabled the mass production of images, this work would have offered a relatively inexpensive way for people to study classical architecture and imagine the grandeur of ancient Rome. Engravings like this one were not just aesthetic objects; they were also commodities, reflecting the rise of a market for art and knowledge. The skill and labor involved in creating the printing plate, and pulling each impression, underscore the democratizing potential of printmaking at the time. It allowed for the wide distribution of visual information, challenging traditional distinctions between artistic creation and industrial reproduction.