In May 2024, the Krannert Art Museum Council hosted the third biennial Acquired Taste Celebration, a fundraiser in which participants hear proposals from curators and vote to bring one into the collection. Attendees chose to acquire Marco Angolo del Moro’s etching The Battle of the Milvian Bridge, proposed by KAM curator Maureen Warren, for the museum.
Before photography, reproductive engravings spread the designs and fame of ancient and contemporary artists throughout Europe. Del Moro engraved Giulio Romano’s fresco from the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican, which—along with Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling—are some of the finest High Renaissance frescos. Just prior to his victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 CE, Emperor Constantine saw a vision of the cross and converted to Christianity. His success united the Roman Empire under a single leader, one who supported this new faith, radically changing the relationship between religion and politics in Europe.
