Colloquium te Poissy, 1561 1565 - 1573

Editor: We're looking at "Colloquium te Poissy, 1561," an engraving by Frans Hogenberg, created sometime between 1565 and 1573. It feels almost like looking at a stage set, so meticulously arranged, with so many figures rendered in such detail, like a snapshot of an historical event frozen in time. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Indeed, it does feel staged, doesn't it? Which in a way, it *was.* Hogenberg captured this moment after the Colloquy, a meeting meant to reconcile Catholics and Protestants. That rigid grid underfoot emphasizes the artificiality, almost like a chess board for religious power plays. I feel a chill, a premonition of the wars of religion to come, hovering in that silent, expectant hall. Notice the deliberate positioning – are they arguing, listening or ignoring each other? Editor: So, the placement of people is crucial? Curator: Absolutely! Look at the people in the foreground almost blocking the view into the main gathering; do they guide our eyes or act as silent observers of our gaze? What are we to make of their intent and purpose as they draw a separation between then and now? Also the architecture almost appears as if to cage everyone. What feeling do you get from that? Editor: It makes me feel like there isn't any sense of freedom and maybe it will devolve into an argument? Almost, that there's not space to move! It’s wild how much is communicated with what feels like such a rigid style. Curator: Precisely. And isn't that the magic? That within these constraints, Hogenberg conveys such tension and foreboding? The details—the costumes, the faces etched in miniature—are less about realism, and more about conveying the weight of history. Editor: So, it’s not just about what happened, but what *was* about to happen? It kind of has made me rethink that there is so much possibility in limitations to capture or convey. Curator: Exactly.