Plate 3: figures in a landscape at lower left, trees at right 1680 - 1747

Editor: This etching, "Plate 3: figures in a landscape at lower left, trees at right" by Lodovico Mattioli, dating from 1680 to 1747, is interesting. The landscape feels staged, almost theatrical, and the circle frames the scene like a window. How do you see the historical context influencing this image? Curator: This work brings up compelling questions about the role of landscape in the 17th and 18th centuries. Consider the materials and techniques—etching, a process relying on acid and metal, allowing for multiplied images. Were these landscapes aimed at wealthy patrons desiring views of their estates, or a burgeoning middle class seeking access to idealized nature? Editor: So, was this print more about documentation or something else? Curator: It complicates that boundary. Look at the way Mattioli renders the foliage and figures. There's an artistry in the depiction that elevates it beyond simple record-keeping. Think about the labor involved, from the mining of metals for the plate to the hand-drawing and acid-etching process. Each print is an artifact of that labor. How does that knowledge affect your perception? Editor: It shifts my perspective, definitely. I hadn’t thought about the physical making of the print and the resources required. So, it's not just a picture, but an object tied to a whole chain of production and consumption. Curator: Precisely. Consider the social implications of that consumption, as well as the material production itself. What did it mean to possess or distribute images like this in that time? Editor: Now I’m thinking less about the beautiful landscape, and more about the means through which this image came into being. The value shifts from the scene itself to the labor and materiality. Thank you, I will think about art in a new way!