Volwassenheid c. 1600 - 1685

Curator: Before us we have "Volwassenheid", or "Adolescence," an engraving made sometime between 1600 and 1685 by Jean Baptiste Humbelot. I’m struck by the overall grayscale scheme; what captures your eye? Editor: Immediately, the checkered pattern of what looks like a game board beside her. And she's holding what seems to be…broken spectacles? There's a somber feel, despite the youth she represents. Curator: The discarded spectacles offer us some potent imagery. Typically, glasses are symbols of knowledge and vision. Here, cast aside, perhaps they signify a rejection of scholarly pursuits, typical in coming of age allegories. Editor: It suggests the subject's transitioning, willingly or not, from the intellectual pursuits to a more "adult" activity. Is that an instrument there too? The trappings of youthful hobbies juxtaposed with the impending choices of maturity? Curator: The presence of a lute hints to a world where one plays music rather than reads philosophy! Notice how Humbelot employed engraving. Line by line, hatching and crosshatching produce varying tonalities, the drape behind the subject using denser clusters of lines to show its heaviness. Editor: I wonder if the curtain in the background hints at "drawing back the veil of ignorance". What world is revealed in the background? Curator: That detail certainly frames the stage on which this girl exists: a sweeping vista implying the wide open spaces and opportunities before her. Her expression hints at being overwhelmed by such opportunity and choices, but her clothing hints she’s been taken care of until now… Editor: Agreed! Perhaps we read too much into her facial expression, though, without proper attention to materials of production. Consider the etchant used to bite into the plate, the specific quality of the paper selected for the print run… All elements influence our perception of melancholy or resignation. Curator: Well said. Whether viewing adolescence through the symbolic objects within the image or by understanding its context through material, both avenues allow for a much deeper exploration of this engraving's commentary. Editor: Indeed. It leaves you to think, “Which symbols of youth will be left behind in *my* stage-setting curtain of adulthood”?