Christ's Feet Annointed by a Sinner c. 1585

Curator: The scene depicted in this engraving by Hans Collaert the Elder is titled "Christ's Feet Annointed by a Sinner." Editor: It’s got a staged quality, doesn't it? Like a theater backdrop with these saturated colors. The viewer is invited to inspect the scene, but is it possible to touch it? Curator: Exactly! Collaert’s choice of engraving emphasizes the printing process. And it focuses on the performative aspect of religious devotion, too. This sinner’s gesture feels so very… public. Editor: You see the devotion, I see labor. Someone had to make the ink, the paper, engrave the plate. And it feels like this image was intended for mass consumption, not exactly a private devotional object. Curator: Perhaps it becomes devotional through its distribution? The image itself becomes a kind of offering, wouldn’t you say? Editor: An offering of skilled labor, mass produced for the market. Curator: Well, I see in it a meditation on grace and humility. Editor: And I see the gears of production turning! Fascinating how the same image can spark such different ideas.