The Three Horatii 

Curator: This print, titled "The Three Horatii", presents an intriguing historical tableau. Crafted through intaglio and engraving, this circular artwork invites us to consider themes of narrative art, figuration, and the rich tradition of history painting. Editor: It hits you right away, doesn't it? That circular form… It feels like peering into a peephole, glimpsing some long-ago drama, complete with oddly theatrical, stilted figures! Curator: Yes, it's deliberately dramatic. The artist, Antoine Jacquard, situates his work within the broader 18th and 19th-century revival of classical themes. It was a period where artists and audiences found relevance in stories of heroism, civic duty, and sacrifice in Ancient Roman and Greek history. This work is an exemplary piece reflecting those interests, even down to the medium! Engravings enabled the circulation of such stories, reaching broad audiences invested in these cultural themes. Editor: Mmm, that's a bit cold for my taste... Even though the classical themes seem old hat nowadays, the execution here lends it some serious bite! The dense, tiny hatching – you can practically feel the weight of the impending doom for whoever squares up against the lads! What a crazy composition—those three dudes in the middle are intense! And those dudes on the horses... It's wild! Curator: I understand your perspective. And although its classical imagery and its methods of production could easily feel very…well, “old hat,” its cultural work, and how it circulated, is where the exciting part begins! What would you imagine audiences saw in this kind of piece, I wonder? Editor: Maybe... strength. Dedication? And maybe just the teensiest bit of glorious, patriotic bloodshed? Curator: Possibly, yes! Through pieces like "The Three Horatii", audiences negotiated, critiqued, and imagined how ideals of national service were forged! Its power resided in more than technique, of course: It also helped create and solidify specific social norms around leadership, and, yes, as you put it, the role of patriotic action in its own time! Editor: Exactly. Suddenly this old peephole into the past doesn't seem so far removed... it seems almost vital! Curator: Indeed! A fresh perspective like yours reveals why even now, art still has so much to say to us about who we once were and hope to be.