Lot with His Daughters c. 18th century

Curator: Schmidt's "Lot with His Daughters" presents a troubling intimacy. The artist's mastery of engraving captures a tense, morally ambiguous moment. Editor: The textures are incredible. Look at the fabrics, the metal flask – you can almost feel the engraver's hand shaping the metal plate. What does the story behind this image tell us about gender roles in its time? Curator: The biblical narrative casts Lot's daughters as active agents, ensuring their family's survival through incest. The image reflects anxieties about female agency and societal collapse. We can see the labor that went into the clothes and adornments. Editor: And how the act of image-making itself, the commissioning and distribution of prints, contributes to that dialogue? Schmidt's technique becomes a form of cultural production, reinforcing or perhaps questioning these power dynamics. Curator: Precisely. Examining the materials used in creating the image helps ground the socio-political context. Editor: A powerful image to ponder, filled with uncomfortable truths.