Holy Family with an Angel Who Offers Fruit to the Christ Child: Raccolta di alcuni disegni del Barbieri da Cento detto il Guernico 1764

This print, Holy Family with an Angel, was made by Francesco Bartolozzi, an Italian printmaker, who was active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Bartolozzi was known for his mastery of the "crayon manner," a printmaking technique that mimicked the soft, chalky lines of a drawing. This involved using tools like roulettes and mattoirs to create tiny dots and lines on a copper plate, which, when printed, gave the image a delicate, textured appearance. The technique allowed for mass production, making art more accessible, but also changed the status of the artist. Bartolozzi's prints were often interpretations of other artists' works, highlighting the shift towards reproduction and dissemination of images in the age of mechanical reproduction. The image is thus not only a devotional scene, but also an artifact of a changing art world, where skill and craft were being harnessed for a wider audience.