Mars en Rhea Sylvia (in doos met 43 tekeningen) 1735

Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by the dreamlike quality, as if a half-remembered myth is unfolding. Editor: Indeed. We're looking at "Mars en Rhea Sylvia," created around 1735 by Louis Fabritius Dubourg. It’s currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s a drawing executed in pen on paper. Curator: Dreamlike, yes, but with an undercurrent of… constraint? Look at the figures clustered so densely. They’re penned in as if caught mid-narrative. The linework almost feels like a spiderweb—delicate, precise, and trapping. Editor: It does present a circular composition, tightly framed with figures from classical allegory. I observe a semiotic play. Mars, in his helmet, reaches for Rhea Sylvia, whose languid pose contrasts with his more militaristic energy. It’s the charged moment before Romulus and Remus enter the scene. Curator: Right, Romulus and Remus! Little cupid angels pepper the scene. This feels so playful. Yet, knowing what these children would be responsible for in myth, is the artist imbuing them with both innocence and a sort of inevitable destiny? Is there a duality? Editor: Perhaps Dubourg used those angels to foreshadow the weight of the babies’ destiny? A bit morbid given it’s just an illustration. Let’s observe the classical architecture mimicked here. Dubourg cleverly interweaves the intimate encounter with hints of Rome's grand future through architectural flourishes in the background, don’t you think? Curator: A narrative device to highlight the import. Speaking of contrasts, the very crisp lines outlining Mars is distinct from the more free-flowing rendering used to define Rhea Sylvia and even the cupid. He has very controlled masculinity, which I can tell you just by seeing the line! Editor: Ah, but it's just a subtle pen. Not particularly grand. Still, after careful scrutiny, what begins as a simple drawing reveals intricate narrative layers and nuanced symbolism. Curator: Exactly. So a simple scene is loaded. I appreciate that more, the more time I spend here.