Two eagles with wings spread, below two leopard heads attached to tree trunks that form three circles, from 'Ornaments or Grotesques' (Ornamenti o Grottesche) 1650 - 1656

Editor: This Stefano della Bella print, "Two eagles with wings spread, below two leopard heads attached to tree trunks that form three circles, from 'Ornaments or Grotesques'" made between 1650 and 1656, is striking. I’m interested in its…strangeness. How do you interpret this work, particularly the relationship between the natural and the ornamental? Curator: It’s crucial to understand that seventeenth-century ornament wasn't merely decorative. The merging of animal and vegetal forms speaks to the power structures embedded within natural philosophy. Della Bella, in presenting eagles, symbols of imperial authority, and pairing them with hybrid creatures, engages with questions of domination and control. Where does the 'natural' end, and the assertion of power begin? Editor: So, the grotesque elements – the leopard-tree hybrids – disrupt the conventional understanding of nature's order? Curator: Precisely! They reflect a period grappling with colonialism, scientific exploration, and the categorization of the world. Think about what it meant to encounter new species, new cultures. Did Europeans seek to understand, or to dominate and categorize them? How might art like this reflect anxieties around these issues? Editor: That’s a helpful framework. It changes how I see it, less decorative, more of a… statement. Does della Bella's choice of printmaking as a medium factor into this reading? Curator: Absolutely. Prints democratize images, enabling wider dissemination. An artist using prints at this time had to consider their reach and impact. Ornament becomes a powerful tool for shaping perceptions and perpetuating ideologies. Consider where these ornamental prints would be seen. How would these images function within a household or workshop? Editor: I hadn't considered how deeply interwoven these images were within the power structures of the time. Curator: The power dynamics aren't always overt, but this close reading can prompt new understandings about seemingly innocuous images. Editor: Thank you, that's really expanded my thinking on ornament as a site of cultural and political exchange.