Sigismonda (Sigismunda) 1795

This is Benjamin Smith's engraving of Sigismonda, made sometime around the late 18th to early 19th century. The somber tones and meticulous cross-hatching pull you into a scene of intense emotional stillness. Sigismonda's figure is arranged in a descending diagonal, from her face to her dress, creating a sense of falling or yielding. The table acts as a stage, presenting the objects, including a cup and a box, almost as characters in a play. Notice how Smith uses the conventions of classicism in his depiction of drapery and form. It is tempered by a romantic sensibility that prioritizes emotion. Smith uses light and shadow to create a semiotic code for interpreting the scene. Her face and the objects on the table are brightly illuminated, signifying their importance, whereas the darkness in the background suggests the unknown, fate, or death. Smith's engraving is not just an image but an argument about feeling, and about how art can represent the deepest truths.