Pendant Shaped like a Beetle with a Couple and a Young Man Playing an Instrument 1590 - 1644

Curator: The initial impression this etching makes is, well, rather bizarre! An ornate beetle dominates the upper portion of the image while, below, we see a musical scene reminiscent of courtly love. Editor: Indeed. This engraving, "Pendant Shaped like a Beetle with a Couple and a Young Man Playing an Instrument", by Jean Toutin, created sometime between 1590 and 1644, certainly offers us an odd juxtaposition. I see this work sitting at The Metropolitan Museum of Art right now. It’s hard to understand what purpose the artwork served. Curator: Toutin has certainly combined the symbolic with the everyday here. Note how he positions the figure playing an instrument beneath a tree in direct contrast to the ornamented beetle which could reference both nature and artifice simultaneously. It also draws attention to the vanitas symbolism in beetles, the impermanence of material wealth or power and the presence of music. Editor: I'd agree the scene below contrasts with the idealized beetles. Considering this was the 17th century, the figure of the couple may have served a greater purpose than artistic value; instead, Toutin captured courtly practices of the era. Music was often a way to bond and engage in flirtation during that time, and so too are jewels of ornamentation! Curator: The tension created between naturalism and elaborate design really intrigues me. Beetles in heraldry, and jewels mimicking nature! The piece allows us to explore human control, perhaps? Editor: The very fact it has a ringlet at the top does suggests it was meant to be worn or displayed, as if to highlight the owner’s control and taste in all forms of social engagement—artwork or adornment—an expression of power! I also feel this work is capturing everyday rituals as performed by society. Curator: It is this melding of both, the artistic impulse mixed with period jewellery design and customs, that makes "Pendant Shaped like a Beetle" so thought-provoking. Editor: Absolutely. There are social and personal elements interlocked with artistic interpretation, really drawing the viewer into early modern society.