Mars's Revenge on Adonis 1696

This print, Mars's Revenge on Adonis, was made by Crescenzio Onofri, likely in Italy, during the late 17th or early 18th century. It’s an etching, meaning the artist coated a metal plate with wax, drew the design through the wax, and then bathed the plate in acid, which bit into the exposed lines. Look closely, and you can see how the varying depths of the lines create a sense of light and shadow. This was a labor-intensive process, demanding skill and precision. Etchings like this were often made to reproduce paintings for a wider audience, or to disseminate original designs. The print medium itself is significant. It speaks to a growing market for images, and the increasing accessibility of art. It suggests a shift in artistic production, where craft and mechanical reproduction intersect, blurring the lines between unique artwork and mass-produced commodity. Appreciating the labor and skill involved helps us see beyond the image itself, and understand the social and economic context in which it was made.