View of the Piazza di Monte Cavallo 

This print of the Piazza di Monte Cavallo in Rome was made by Giovanni Battista Piranesi using etching and engraving. These are both intaglio techniques, which means the image is cut into a metal plate. Ink is then applied, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the recesses. The plate is then pressed onto paper, transferring the image. Piranesi was a master of these processes. Look closely, and you can see the sharp lines of the architecture, achieved through precise cuts into the metal. Note too the contrast between light and shadow, created by varying the depth and density of the etched lines. This required immense skill and labor, and the resulting prints were highly valued as both artworks and records of Roman architecture. What’s fascinating is that while these prints were luxury items, the techniques used to create them were rooted in the world of craft production and printmaking. Piranesi blurred these boundaries, elevating printmaking to the level of fine art, and offering a glimpse into the industry and labor that shaped 18th-century Rome.