Charles Erskine 1737

Curator: This is James McArdell's "Charles Erskine," a mezzotint print now residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It has such a somber, almost haunting quality, doesn't it? The darkness seems to swallow him. Curator: Indeed. McArdell, active in the mid-18th century, was known for his skill in capturing likenesses and textures. Note the velvety shadows achieved through the mezzotint technique. Editor: And that inscription—"Offendent terris hunc tantum fata, neque ultra Esse sinent". Fate will only allow the earth to show him—gives it such an air of fated importance. Curator: It suggests a deliberate construction of persona, aligning Erskine with classical ideals of virtue and destiny. The darkness could symbolize the weight of responsibility he carries as a counsellor at law. Editor: It makes you wonder about the pressures he faced, the expectations placed upon him. Ultimately, I find it terribly evocative. Curator: A powerful image indeed, one that invites us to contemplate the burdens of status and the performance of self.