Camp on the March c. 18th century

Curator: This is "Camp on the March," an engraving by Charles Nicolas Cochin l’ainé, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Look at the plate dimensions; it's a sizable print. Editor: It has such a theatrical, almost dreamlike quality. All those figures, caught between rest and readiness. Is that a river? Curator: Indeed, and you see the tents? This piece likely captures a military encampment, reflecting the visual culture of warfare in that period. Editor: There's an odd sense of stillness amidst what I imagine would be a noisy scene. It's as if everyone is frozen in their exhaustion. Curator: Cochin's work allows us to consider how such scenes were constructed and disseminated as images of power and order. It certainly evokes a moment of contemplation. Editor: Agreed. A stark reminder that even in the heart of movement, there are moments of profound pause.