The Rivers Console Peneus for the Loss of His Daughter c. 16th century

Curator: Here we have an engraving from the Harvard Art Museums collection, titled "The Rivers Console Peneus for the Loss of His Daughter," by an anonymous artist. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the sense of flowing grief depicted. It's like a torrent of emotion, rendered in these swirling lines. Curator: Notice the figures, each representing a river, pouring out their waters—a symbolic gesture of shared mourning and empathy towards Peneus. The repetition of water vessels speaks to ritual. Editor: Absolutely. The image also has a dreamlike quality. It feels like an ancient memory, or a collective lament, expressed in a visual language all its own. Curator: And in understanding such symbols, the past flows into us. Editor: It's amazing how an image, like this, transcends time to evoke such potent feelings.