Voyage Pittoresque ou Description des Royaumes de Naples et de Sicile (Picturesque Journey or Description of the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily) [vol. 2] 1782

This print was made by Jean Claude Richard, Abbé de Saint-Non, as part of his 'Voyage Pittoresque,' a multi-volume survey of Southern Italy and Sicily, with the ambitious aim of documenting the area's antiquities, natural features, and culture. The print's flat planes of color echo the black-figure pottery from ancient Greece, which Saint-Non studied firsthand. This aesthetic choice wasn't just about documentation, it was about making history vivid for his 18th-century audience. Creating these images was a complex undertaking. The prints involved a division of labor, with Saint-Non and others making drawings that were then translated into prints by skilled engravers and printers. So, while the "Voyage Pittoresque" aimed to capture a specific time and place, its production was rooted in the social and economic realities of its own era, where artistic vision met craft expertise in a collaborative process. This print is a testament to the power of understanding context when viewing art.