Peru, from the playing cards "Jeu de la Géographie" 1644

Curator: Here we have Stefano della Bella's "Peru, from the playing cards 'Jeu de la Géographie'," created in 1644. It’s an engraving, etched in ink, currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It strikes me as quite fierce. This powerful woman riding astride a horse, brandishing a spear, evokes both strength and dominance. It has such swagger. Curator: Indeed. Della Bella's baroque style uses figuration and landscape to evoke symbolic meanings of geographical territories, conceived as characters. This particular card personifies Peru through this warrior figure, who seems to embody the land's riches and power. Note the cherubic figure flying ahead of her—a further detail in the allegory. Editor: I’m more taken by the method, really. This fine network of etched lines builds up not only the contours of form but also suggests texture – the horse’s muscular haunches, the flowing drapery, even the wildness of the woman’s hair. It speaks to the engraver’s skilled labour and precise, calculated marks. Also the printing, consider the choice of paper, ink. Curator: Exactly! And those very details you mentioned evoke deeper symbolic readings. The flowing drapery almost blends with the horse’s mane and tail, suggesting Peru's untamed landscape and wealth of resources, which are clearly alluded to in the inscription. The figure riding forth like that indicates ambition and control over a valuable territory. The etching reminds us how symbols create an imaginative framework for understanding global geography. Editor: Right, but without the artisan's careful work and understanding of material possibilities – from metal plate to final print – this allegory of power falls flat. It really is an interaction of hand, material, and symbolic order isn't it? Curator: I think it highlights perfectly how meaning is embodied. Thank you for illuminating those crucial points of materiality! Editor: Anytime. Examining that intersection is really the heart of this for me.