View of the Gardens of the Villa d'Este in Tivoli 1765

Editor: This is Jean-Claude Richard, Abbé de Saint-Non's "View of the Gardens of the Villa d'Este in Tivoli," a delicate print. The scene feels tranquil, almost melancholic. What stands out to you? Curator: The Villa d’Este gardens were designed to evoke paradise, a classical Golden Age. Notice how Saint-Non uses the cypresses, symbols of mourning and remembrance, juxtaposed with the idyllic garden. What does that tension suggest to you about the artist's view of paradise? Editor: Perhaps that even in paradise, there's an awareness of loss or the passage of time? I hadn't considered that before. Curator: Precisely. Symbols invite us to look beyond the surface and engage with deeper cultural memories.