Plate 8: battle between soldiers on a boat and naked men trying to climb in, a river god at right 1655 - 1665

Pietro Santi Bartoli made this print in the late 17th century, a time when printmaking was a hugely important medium. Prints were made using metal plates, painstakingly incised with lines that hold ink. Bartoli's skill is on full display here, with a staggering density of marks. Consider how much focused labor was needed to create this level of detail! The process allowed images to be widely disseminated, far beyond the circles of wealthy patrons. It democratized art. The composition, showing a chaotic battle scene, seems almost sculpted in low relief. We can imagine Bartoli carefully controlling the pressure of his burin to achieve such a sculptural effect. Prints like this one played a crucial role in spreading classical imagery, and the ideas associated with it, across Europe. But it's worth remembering the human effort behind these images – the skilled hands that brought them into being, and the social impact they had. This was no mere reproduction, but a translation of form into line.