View of a Canal with Vaulted Bridge, Grand Staircase Rising from the Water in the Right Foreground (N.H.) 1562

Curator: This is a small print, just about 6 by 8 inches, titled "View of a Canal with Vaulted Bridge, Grand Staircase Rising from the Water in the Right Foreground (N.H.)", etched by Joannes van Doetecum, and it resides here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's like a dream Venice, but meticulously rendered. The precision is captivating, almost unsettling. It feels… calculated. Curator: Yes, the labor and planning of such an etching were immense, demanding specialized tools and highly developed skill. And the stairs rising directly from the water highlight transportation and class, in a way. Editor: It makes me think about unseen depths, both literal and metaphorical, in these canal cities. All those hidden foundations, the submerged history beneath the shimmering surface... Curator: Precisely, and the medium—etching—allows us to explore those depths through line and shadow. Editor: It's a world built on water, a fragile beauty balanced on unseen engineering. I'm strangely moved. Curator: Indeed. The art lies in the crafting.