De Pigna te Vaticaanstand 1576 - 1618

This etching of the Vatican Pinecone was made by Giovanni Maggi around the turn of the 17th century. It's a print, so we can be sure that it's been made with an eye to reproduction, to spread its image far and wide. And what an image it is! The ‘pigna’ as it's known in Rome, is rendered in a dense thicket of lines, giving a strong sense of its three-dimensional form and texture. Giovanni Maggi masterfully depicts the imposing bronze sculpture, which was originally placed in classical times near the Pantheon, and later moved to the courtyard of the Old St. Peter's Basilica. Maggi was clearly fascinated by this object, and he's taken pains to emphasize the craft involved in its creation. The pinecone looms monumentally, yet in its original form, it was as much a functional object as a work of art. It served as the magnificent fountain, serving the city's population. This print gives us a chance to consider how art and craft, design and necessity, have always been deeply intertwined.