The First Viral Images: Maerten de Vos, Antwerp Print, and the Early Modern Globe

Virality is a critical vocabulary for understanding the role of artworks in the global mobility and reproduction of early modern artworks. This book explores the trajectories of two interrelated objects made in Antwerp in the late sixteenth century, tracing how they were reproduced and adapted across the early modern world. It challenges analytical models that have dominated art-historical scholarship and sheds new light on how artworks navigated and contributed to the emerging global infrastructures of Catholicism, commerce, and colonialism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 14 February 2023
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

As a significant social phenomenon and an integral part of internet culture, virality emerges as a vital vocabulary for addressing the complex challenges posed by the global mobility and reproduction of early modern artworks. This captivating book delves into the realm of virality, employing it as a lens to explore the profound role of artworks in the uneven processes of early modern globalization. Through meticulous archival research spanning Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Stephanie Porras meticulously traces the interconnected journeys of two remarkable objects created in the late sixteenth century in Antwerp. These objects are Gerónimo Nadals Evangelicae historiae imagines, an illustrated devotional text published and propagated by the Society of Jesus, and a singular composition by Maerten de Vos, St. Michael the Archangel. Remarkably, both these masterpieces were reproduced and adapted across the early modern world during the seventeenth century, leaving an indelible mark on various artistic traditions.

In her insightful examination, Porras delves into the intricate mechanisms behind the travel and adoption of these objects as models by artists across different regions and cultural contexts. She explores how and why these objects traversed geographical boundaries, captivating the imaginations of Spanish and Latin American painters, Chinese printmakers, Mughal miniaturists, and Filipino ivory carvers alike. By reassessing the creative labor involved in the production of a diverse array of copies, citations, and reproductions, Porras sheds light on the intricate interconnections between the agency of individual artists or patrons, powerful gatekeepers and social networks, and the economic, political, and religious infrastructures that shaped the early modern world.

Through her innovative approach, Porras challenges and expands upon prevailing analytical models that have dominated art-historical scholarship in the global early modern period. She interrogates notions of copying, agency, context, and viewership, prompting us to reevaluate our understanding of the complex interplay between artworks, globalization, and the broader social, cultural, and historical landscapes.

The First Viral Images is a captivating and thought-provoking work that offers a fresh perspective on the role of artworks in the era of globalization. It sheds new light on how artworks, as agents of change, navigated and contributed to the emerging and interconnected global infrastructures of Catholicism, commerce, and colonialism. By delving into the complexities of virality, Porras provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the intricate connections between art, culture, and society in the early modern world. This book is a must-read for scholars, artists, and anyone interested in exploring the dynamic relationship between art and globalization in the past.

Weight: 1084g
Dimension: 211 x 263 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271092836