Opstand van het trappenhuis en de loggia van de Villa Giustiniani-Cambiaso te Genua 1622

Nicolaes Ryckmans made this print of the staircase and loggia of the Villa Giustiniani-Cambiaso in Genoa, sometime in the 17th century. It's rendered with the crisp, precise lines of an engraving – a technique ideally suited to architectural plans. Look at the details, you will notice the linear quality that defines the textures of the surfaces and overall design. The pattern is not unlike that of the villas and public buildings of the period. Engraving was the perfect medium for disseminating this kind of design. The printing press allowed a single skilled engraver to translate architectural ideas into reproducible form. It was labor intensive, and also a way of sharing and standardizing architectural knowledge across Europe. This particular print, with its careful rendering of classical elements, shows how the aesthetics of the Italian Renaissance were spread through such relatively humble means. So, the next time you see a grand building, remember the important role that prints like this one played, in spreading the ideas that made it possible.