Sibylle Delphique 1630 - 1640

Curator: Here we have an engraving dating from the mid-17th century, specifically between 1630 and 1640. It's titled "Sibylle Delphique," and it's attributed to Gilles Rousselet. It resides here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: She looks rather melancholic, draped in all that heavy fabric. All that etched line work; it’s beautiful but so…dense. A heavy weight of history right there, isn’t it? Curator: Indeed. Engravings of this era served multiple purposes, not only as artworks in their own right, but also for disseminating ideas, replicating paintings, and creating a visual record. Rousselet was a master engraver, so the lines carry meaning, the layering of textures indicating both light and status. Editor: I like how the central figure's the Sibyl, taking up all the space, all the attention and on the right you can make out some rather busy looking, figures worshipping under what looks like a star and what is that, an ancient generator? So an encounter of the prophetic and divine, wouldn’t you say? And yet, a real person did this, manually transferred it, that line quality really indicates time, work. Curator: Precisely. The subject matter relates to prophecies, with a possible convergence with interpretations of the Nativity. The placement of that “star” emphasizes the Sibyl's predictive powers as much as the future itself. Look closely, the figure with his rope detail adds another tactile quality. Editor: It is strangely comforting how the details of the period’s production processes remain evident within the completed piece, if we just remember how much effort goes into these. The image becomes a material echo of those who originally beheld it. Curator: And isn’t that what great art does? Creates connections across centuries. Editor: I suppose, we are just doing our best. Curator: Indeed, carrying forth her messages as we too make them anew.