Titelprent voor een serie met Romeinse triomfen 1547 - 1591

This title print for a series of Roman triumphs was made by Gerard de Jode in Antwerp, sometime in the late 16th century. It’s an engraving, meaning that the design was incised into a copper plate. This plate would have been inked and then printed onto paper, a process that could be repeated many times over. What interests me here is the way that the image performs a kind of visual excess, piling up trophies of war – helmets, shields, spears – all rendered with astonishing detail. This wasn't just a demonstration of technical virtuosity. It was also about the economics of printmaking. Each impression would have been sold, and the more impressive the image, the more likely it was to find a buyer. So in a sense, this title print isn’t just about Roman triumphs, but also about the triumph of the printing press – a technology that, like the empires of old, was all about expansion and control. The sheer labor and skill involved underscores the significance of printmaking as both a craft and a business.