Splendore delle virtuose giovani, page 4 (recto) 1564

Curator: This is page four, recto, from “Splendore delle virtuose giovani,” a print dating back to 1564, crafted using pen and ink. The artist, Iseppo Foresto, seems to have been intensely engaged with creating something between a pen drawing, linocut print, and a pen-ink sketch all at once. Editor: The intricate detailing and high contrast make this image so striking. There is an overwhelming sense of old age; one that exudes wisdom and a powerful weight. Curator: Looking at it from the standpoint of materials, the stark black ink on paper invites us to consider printmaking processes. The labor and skill demanded by Iseppo Foresto to carve the intricate details necessary to yield this final piece reflect both an intimate familiarity with natural motifs, as well as geometrical forms. Editor: I see many layered images – leaves that intertwine. Geometric shapes seem like cages around vines of flourishing foliage. The entire artwork possesses elements suggestive of duality, an intriguing combination of nature, restriction and human design. Curator: How can we think of its potential context, then? "Splendore delle virtuose giovani", loosely translated to ‘Splendor of Virtuous Young Women’. This brings questions to the surface such as, ‘Who and where would it be used or kept? What materials were used to print these pages? Was the printing process laborious? Was Foresto commissioned? Editor: Considering the time in which this was created, it can possibly serve as more than ornamental decorations of interior objects. The duality present in this piece and the geometrical form could speak to moral confines imposed onto "virtuous young women" in that era. It is a piece of art ripe with symbolism, reflective of its place in history and culture. Curator: What an intersection between handwork and material expression of gendered experience; thank you for shedding light onto the work’s nuanced symbolic value, revealing complexities of visual interpretation. Editor: Thank you. Through understanding labor and symbolism, one finds the full essence within artwork's historical origins and impact.