Melpomene 1592 - 1667

Curator: We’re here today looking at an engraving titled “Melpomene,” which historians believe emerged sometime between 1592 and 1667. Although created by an anonymous artist, this piece currently resides here at the Rijksmuseum. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Well, first, there’s a strange stillness about her, isn't there? Almost unsettling. I can't quite put my finger on why. It could be the fact the engraving only displays monochrome; the severe lines feel very austere to me. Curator: Note how the artist employs hatching and cross-hatching. It’s meticulously executed, a trademark of Baroque engraving, building up tonal depth and a remarkable range of values for a monochromatic piece. See how the lines curve to define the drapery, almost sculpting the fabric. Editor: True! The way the robe gathers does draw the eye. You can almost feel the texture and weight of the fabric. And her expression, serene but distant, with a touch of sadness? Or is that just me projecting? Curator: The somber expression aligns perfectly with Melpomene’s role as the muse of tragedy. This isn’t just portraiture; it's a symbolic representation, utilizing iconographic elements such as the scroll and the theatrical mask at her feet to denote her association with the arts. Editor: Ah, yes, that mask. That tiny mask seems…almost carelessly tossed there. I keep wondering what tragedy she might be pondering. Or perhaps she’s tired of all the drama? It feels like a modern emotion caught in a classical framework. Curator: Indeed. There’s a tension in the layering of symbolism and affect. While the piece is formally allegorical, it still possesses a tangible sense of human complexity. Note that her gaze directed straight toward the viewer suggests not just representation but confrontation. Editor: Which definitely contributes to the "unsettling stillness" that originally grabbed me. A challenge, not just an observation. Fascinating. Curator: Well put! The brilliance here exists in how the engraving successfully unites a conceptual representation of Melpomene with such pronounced emotional and textural details, no? Editor: It's as though we can engage her thoughts. I wouldn’t have imagined that an anonymous artist from the 17th century could still be quite this good.