Printed images made a revolutionary impact when they first appeared in Europe around 1400.
That impact is examined in “Media Revolution: Early Prints from Sheldon’s Vault,” a new exhibition that opened Dec. 9 at the Sheldon Museum of Art. The exhibit was curated by Alison Stewart, a professor of art and art history, and students in her fall 2011 “History of Prints: New Media of the Renaissance” class.

The exhibit, on display through Feb. 19, features little-seen masterpieces from the Sheldon’s collection vault. The display features the three major print techniques of the early modern period: woodcut, engraving and etching. “Media Revolution” suggests how the print revolution evolved as it spread across Europe and the British Isles.

The installation will continue to evolve over the coming weeks as, for part of their final assignment, Stewart’s students prepared object labels that will be added to the gallery.

For more information, go to www.sheldonartmuseum.org.