Plate 7 c. 17th century

Editor: This etching from the 17th century, "Plate 7" by Stefano della Bella, features swirling baroque ornament framing what looks like a sleeping cherub flanked by reclining nudes. It has a dreamy, ethereal quality. How do you interpret the imagery used in this piece? Curator: It’s fascinating how della Bella combines classical figuration with Baroque ornamentation, isn't it? Notice how the reclining nudes evoke a sense of classical antiquity, drawing on a visual vocabulary associated with goddesses and nymphs. They almost appear as personifications of nature. Editor: Right, and they are so interwoven with the floral flourishes; they seem to be emerging directly from it. Curator: Precisely. This integration speaks to a Renaissance tradition of viewing the human form as integral to the natural world. What strikes me most, however, is the cherub nestled in the center. That figure represents innocence, the promise of rebirth and spiritual love that's often prevalent in religious symbology of the time. Editor: That contrast with the somewhat more sensual nudes is intriguing. Is that a deliberate tension? Curator: Possibly. Remember that the Baroque period loved contrasts – light and dark, the sacred and the profane. The imagery, as a whole, probably functioned as more than just decoration, but a contemplation of life's dualities, perhaps? What do you think that contrast could mean? Editor: Perhaps to elevate the everyday with symbolism and beauty…or, the other way around. To connect earthly pleasures with spirituality and divinity. Curator: Exactly! The constant recycling of images imbues them with meaning – shifting and evolving throughout history. Della Bella here recontextualizes them, charging the figures with new significance, becoming part of our collective memory, one etching at a time. Editor: That really does give me a new appreciation for how prints and etchings worked back then, and continue to function even today.