Macro doodt Tiberius 1736 - 1775

Editor: This is “Macro doodt Tiberius” by Jan Caspar Philips, made between 1736 and 1775. It's an engraving, so everything is line work. The scene is really dramatic, looks almost theatrical. What strikes me is how staged everything feels; like each character has a very specific role to play. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Indeed, a striking image! Note how Philips uses the language of Baroque drama. Every element contributes to a reading of political power, ambition, and the theater of death. The canopy above Tiberius's bed is not just decorative; it is a visual symbol of Roman imperial authority. Editor: That makes sense, like the canopy is visually “crowning” Tiberius. And it looms over him, even in death. Curator: Precisely! Now, consider the figures surrounding the bed. Their gestures, expressions... Do you detect a convergence, a consensus in their affect? Or something else? What do you observe in their gestures? Editor: Some seem grief-stricken, others almost… calculating? Macro is standing there almost detached, isn't he? It is less an intimate farewell and more of a carefully watched moment. Curator: Exactly. Macro is a key player in this drama. Think about his posture and how the artist positioned him as if surveying the situation, taking stock. The image thus isn’t simply depicting death, but rather, a carefully choreographed transfer of power, heavy with symbolism that would have resonated with viewers of that time, steeped as they were in classical history and the symbolism of power. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way – as a transfer of power, and how the people present are less mourners and more political players in this moment. Thanks for showing me how to decode those symbolic gestures and details. Curator: My pleasure. Every image speaks, once we learn to listen.