Tithonus en Aurora before 1765

Curator: Here, in the Rijksmuseum, we have a print entitled "Tithonus en Aurora," made before 1765 by Louis Simon Lempereur. What springs to mind for you? Editor: Hmm, first impressions: ethereal. It's all about lightness and a certain... weariness? Maybe a melancholic take on a classical myth? Curator: Indeed. It's a baroque interpretation of the allegory of Tithonus and Aurora, or Dawn. The mortal Tithonus was loved by the goddess Aurora, who asked Zeus to grant him immortality but forgot to ask for eternal youth. So, he aged… endlessly. Editor: Ouch, immortal but decrepit! Looking at this through the lens of materials, it's fascinating how Lempereur, using just engraved lines, can suggest such a story of fading glory, the tragic side of something shimmering and divine. Curator: Absolutely. The choice of engraving amplifies this sense of a story etched in time, doesn't it? The contrast of light and shadow... it reminds me of memory itself. Fragile, persistent. And you’ve got to think about the production of such an image. Who was it for, what type of labor made this possible? Editor: These prints were essentially reproductive technologies, circulating images and ideas for a broader audience, extending the reach of courtly patronage and influence through a relatively affordable medium. Consider also the role of the engraver - a skilled craftsperson interpreting the design of another artist, their labor often unacknowledged. Curator: I'd not thought about the artist's interpretation quite that way, thank you! Lempereur has offered his personal perspective on these immortal figures – perhaps thinking about his mortality, maybe. I’m mostly feeling sympathy, thinking, I wonder how this will all turn out. Editor: Precisely. And these aren’t the gods and goddesses in marble; we see the human hand so vividly in every line. That act of production—reproducing it multiple times! It asks what we really value and reproduce through material means. Curator: A lingering exploration, then. Not just of myth, but of making. I love that we have the ability to keep and see that history right in front of our eyes. Editor: Yes. And, a challenge to reassess artistic value beyond subject matter and signature. Every line represents choices about material production and distribution.