Monstrans met vijf putti 1637

This drawing of a monstrance with five putti was made by Giacomo Laurenziani in the mid-seventeenth century. It shows us a design for a vessel used to display the Eucharist. Look closely, and you can see that Laurenziani has used hatching and cross-hatching to give the image a sense of three-dimensionality. This wasn't just a drawing; it was a design for a highly wrought object, likely to be made in silver or gold. Consider the techniques that would have been involved in its production: chasing, engraving, casting, and polishing. All these required skilled labor, and time. The profusion of cherubic figures and ornate detail speaks to the wealth and power of the Catholic Church, and the importance of ritual in early modern Europe. Laurenziani's drawing is not just a design; it's also a record of the social and cultural values of its time, reminding us that even the most beautiful objects are products of labor and belief.