In the hugely profitable print industry of the sixteenth century, copyrights, or so-called privileges, offered an apparently effective protection for popular designs. But printmakers soon found ways to manipulate these designs in ways that constantly challenged the idea of a copy. The lecture addresses how these creative deviations affected the image of ancient Rome and consequently the dissemination of architectural ideals.

The lecture forms an introduction to Victor Plahte Tschudi‘s project on copyright and architecture and was held during his tenure (Spring 2023) as Visiting Professor at Villa I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies.