Plate 6: Nero with his head turned slightly to the right, from "The Twelve Caesars" 1610 - 1640

Curator: Looking at this print, my immediate thought is "imperious disapproval." That arched brow could curdle milk. Editor: Indeed. What we're observing is "Plate 6: Nero with his head turned slightly to the right," part of "The Twelve Caesars" series, dating back to sometime between 1610 and 1640. It is currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Curator: "Slightly to the right" is an understatement. He's giving us the side-eye of history. Is it meant to be a warts-and-all portrayal, or is this more of a symbolic rendering? Editor: The brilliance of these historical depictions lies in their commentary. Nero, infamous for excess and tyranny, is shown adorned with laurel, the signifier of victory. However, the overall impression… Well, you already hit upon it: disapproval. A critique of power, if you will. Curator: I’d say so. He appears skeptical, suspicious even. It's quite remarkable for an official portrait, isn’t it? You see his fleshy face, and, behind the ruler, the human emerges: vain, fearful perhaps. Almost a caricature, but too finely wrought. Editor: Precisely. And there's the Mannerist style—exaggerated features, almost theatrical posing—amplifying the unease. It makes you consider how such an image might function. Did it influence political thought? Curator: Oh, certainly. A visual indictment is often far more powerful than the written word. The artist—we don’t actually know who produced this, right? The “Anonymous” is somewhat poignant here. But this person captured something essential, a vulnerability within that emperor's hubris. Or maybe I'm projecting! Editor: Regardless of the artist’s intention, images become vessels for interpretation, molded by cultural context and political agendas. The detail captured in the engraving begs the question—who were they to capture this depiction? Curator: Maybe the true stroke of genius here is Nero's self-awareness peeking through, as captured by the anonymous printmaker. A whisper of doubt hidden within a mountain of entitlement. Editor: So, power, suspicion, artistic boldness. All present in this "slight" turn of the head.