Gezicht op het Comomeer 1794 - 1830

Caroline Lose made this print of twelve views of Lake Como using etching and burin techniques. Lake Como, in Lombardy, Italy, was a popular destination for wealthy tourists from Northern Europe at the time. The picturesque scenery and classical architecture catered to their romantic sensibilities. Lose's print is an example of vedute, a genre of topographical views, that served the tourist trade. Prints like these were keepsakes of the Grand Tour, a traditional trip of Europe undertaken by upper-class young men. The institutional history of the Grand Tour and the market for landscape views explains how and why Lose made this print in the early 19th century. To understand the social function of this artwork, we can consult travel guides, letters, and diaries of the period, alongside the history of printmaking and tourism. We discover that art’s meaning is always contingent on social and institutional contexts.