De standvastigheid van Marcus Atilius Regulus 1590 - 1632

Curator: The work before us, housed here at the Rijksmuseum, is entitled "The Steadfastness of Marcus Atilius Regulus," crafted sometime between 1590 and 1632. It's an engraving by Pieter de Jode I, depicting a rather gruesome scene from Roman history. Editor: My first impression? Yikes. The composition is dense, figures crammed together, all seemingly focused on torturing some poor soul crammed into a barrel. The level of detail is intense, almost uncomfortably so. The high contrast of the black and white really accentuates the… brutality. Curator: Indeed. De Jode employs a classical Baroque style here, emphasizing dramatic narrative through exaggerated gestures and intense emotional displays. The engraving captures the legendary Roman general Regulus being subjected to torture by the Carthaginians after refusing to advocate for peace terms favorable to them. Editor: So, it’s about principle over personal safety. Classic tragic hero stuff. What strikes me is how actively everyone participates, each face registering a different flavor of malice. The repetition of their poses—arms raised, tools in hand—it's a chorus of cruelty. There’s a dark humor, almost, in how absurd the whole contraption looks. Curator: Semiotically, the barrel functions as both a literal and metaphorical container of Regulus’s suffering. It confines his body, but also symbolizes the constraints placed on his freedom of choice. The various instruments surrounding him serve as indices of his impending torture. The expressions are significant, each face reflecting the various facets of human cruelty. Editor: All that makes sense. But it’s also visually arresting – those textures! The wood grain of the barrel, the metal implements, the rough hewn rocks at the base – everything vibrates with a dark, perverse energy. Looking at it, I feel a shiver of… not quite horror, but a very unpleasant fascination. Curator: Ultimately, "The Steadfastness of Marcus Atilius Regulus" offers a meditation on civic duty, moral courage, and the terrible cost of unwavering conviction. Editor: For me, beyond the moral lesson, is the raw intensity. This engraving reminds us of the potential for calculated inhumanity that lurks in even seemingly civilized societies. Something about it lingers uncomfortably in the mind.