Christ Lifted onto the Cross 1670

Editor: Here we have Melchior Küsel’s print, "Christ Lifted onto the Cross." It's quite a busy scene, isn’t it? So many figures involved in this act of lifting. What strikes you about the making of this print? Curator: The etching process itself is crucial. Note how the artist employs labor-intensive techniques to depict labor itself. Consider the consumption of religious imagery in this period. Were these prints devotional objects, or commodities circulating within a market? Editor: So, the print's material existence reflects the socio-economic conditions of its creation? Curator: Precisely. How does understanding the print as a product change your understanding of the image? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure!