Plate 22: two nude figures wearing veils 1756

Curator: Here we have Plate 22, created around 1756, by Bartolomeo Crivellari. It’s an engraving showing two nude figures, semi-draped, shouldering what appears to be a large sphere. Editor: My first impression is of tension, maybe a slightly unsettling monumentality, like I’m seeing the foundation of a forgotten empire. The level of detail with so many fine lines really intensifies it, giving this incredible textural quality. Curator: Absolutely. Crivellari, of course, working from designs by Pellegrino Tibaldi and Sebastiano Gramma, excelled in capturing texture. Notice how the hatching defines the musculature and the folds of the veils. Those veils—are they burdens or mere adornments? Editor: Ah, now there’s the question. Veils often signify something concealed, right? Knowledge, secrets, power. Perhaps they are bearing not just weight, but also mysteries? The sphere they carry strengthens this idea, symbolizing the world or some form of cosmic burden, like Atlas holding the world on his shoulders. Curator: That ties into a lot of Greek and Roman art of the era, where you often see allegorical figures depicted supporting structures or emblems. In this case, though, the style seems less about overt symbolism and more about evoking a feeling of historical weight, or perhaps a past of struggle and silent endurance. There's a strange hollowness within it too. Editor: Indeed. It's interesting to think about its intended purpose, maybe as architectural detailing for some grand villa. Even divorced from that original function, it evokes history painting even though it’s realized as line drawing rather than, say, oil on canvas. The classical themes endure, even here in engraving. Curator: The architectural elements frame them, yet seem less animated than the figures. Maybe that's why the plate retains such strange appeal; these struggling figures hint at both a literal and metaphorical weight that resonates beyond simple classicism. Editor: Definitely. Looking at it again, that textural density coupled with the subtle gradations really make the composition for me; a reminder of just how powerfully the classical language of symbols and myths continues to operate on our subconscious.