Grotesque with Two Winged Females Bound to an Urn 1562

Editor: This is Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau's "Grotesque with Two Winged Females Bound to an Urn," a small print from the 16th century, housed at the Harvard Art Museums. The symmetry is striking, but also a bit unsettling. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see the Renaissance fascination with classical forms intertwined with a darker, more Mannerist sensibility. Winged figures, urns, and mythical beasts are common, but their confinement suggests anxieties about control and the fleeting nature of beauty. Do you find a tension between order and chaos? Editor: Definitely. The details are so intricate and fantastical, yet they're rigidly organized. It makes me wonder about the purpose of these images. Curator: These grotesque designs were often used as models for ornamentation. They reveal a cultural memory of ancient grandeur filtered through the lens of 16th-century anxieties. An interesting contrast, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely! I hadn't considered the tension between aspiration and anxiety before. Thank you.