Scene from Voltaire's "Henriade" c. 1771

Curator: Here we have François Denis Née's design, "Scene from Voltaire's Henriade," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a striking little engraving. Editor: Little is right, but my first thought jumps to the violence of this image. It's brutal, chaotic—the figures, the weapons...it's all quite arresting. Curator: The torch, the pikes, the sword, and even the way they're wielded all evoke a pastiche of historical conflicts. This harkens back to the early modern period, where symbols of authority and resistance were often intertwined. Editor: Indeed. Consider the text beneath: "Who could express the ravages / Of this cruel night that spread the images!" It really situates this within a legacy of persecution. What we are really seeing is the cyclical nature of violence. Curator: Yes, and the composition itself emphasizes this—the figures are arranged in a dynamic swirl, mirroring the turmoil of the event, but also hinting at an eternal return. Editor: It leaves one with a sense of disquiet, a stark reminder of the human cost of ideological conflict. Curator: The print certainly challenges us to look beyond the surface. Editor: Absolutely, a tiny work that speaks volumes about larger social ills.