Juno and the Peacock 1780

Editor: This etching from 1780, "Juno and the Peacock" by Angelica Kauffmann, showcases a regal woman with her symbolic peacock companion. The details rendered on paper with etching lines are really intriguing; what material or social angles stand out to you? Curator: It's compelling to consider the production of prints in Kauffmann’s era. Etchings democratized images; what was once only accessible to the wealthy as paintings could be circulated and consumed widely as prints. The very act of creating multiples disrupts ideas about authorship and artistic labor. Editor: So, you are saying that the making of this image, an etching, meant more people had access to art. It was not just the rich commissioning paintings. Curator: Precisely. And who controlled these production processes? Did Kauffmann herself etch this, or did she design the image for others to produce? Considering the labor involved – the etcher's skill, the printer's craft, the distribution networks – adds layers to our understanding. Was she challenging the traditional boundaries between the fine arts and printmaking? Editor: It seems revolutionary to view prints in that era not only as copies, but as important and accessible original art in themselves. Do you think the rise of prints influenced the art market? Curator: Undoubtedly. Consider the materials – the paper, the inks. These were traded goods. Art wasn’t separate from everyday manufacturing but tightly entangled with it. Think about the consumers - this also reflects on the social expectations and class system of the late 18th century. Editor: I’d never considered an etching as part of material and social history, but this sheds new light on prints as being culturally meaningful beyond just being beautiful images. Curator: Right, shifting our attention to the labour and materiality involved, the cultural and historical impact is unavoidable.