Plate 18: two nude figures wearing veils, seen from behind 1756

Curator: The Met houses a striking engraving by Bartolomeo Crivellari, dating to 1756, titled "Plate 18: two nude figures wearing veils, seen from behind." It’s a fairly intricate work, rendered in ink on paper. What strikes you first about this piece? Editor: The sharp precision, definitely. It feels almost architectural in its detail, yet softened by those figures draped in cloth. What I find interesting, though, is how this highly controlled image seems preoccupied with uncovering a past. Curator: Absolutely. These veiled figures immediately evoke classical antiquity. The veil itself is a powerful symbol, often associated with mystery, revelation, or even mourning. Consider how it both conceals and reveals. Editor: It's fascinating to think about this being a print; how many impressions were pulled, and how the very act of reproducing and distributing this image transformed the perception of these bodies. What was Crivellari's intended audience here? Curator: In this era, engravings often served as a means of disseminating knowledge, particularly classical forms. Think of the Grand Tour. Perhaps these figures represent idealized forms, a kind of visual education meant to elevate taste and inspire artists. But there’s also an undeniable erotic undercurrent. Editor: An erotic charge born from the act of observing; like glimpsing something normally private, yet packaged and consumed by whoever might obtain this affordable rendering. I wonder who actually manufactured these engravings. Curator: Good point. And how much influence did Gamma and Tibaldi's original artwork have on Crivellari's reproduction? The work has interesting tensions between private and public, ideal and real. Editor: And between the immediacy of the artist's hand and the mediated experience of printed distribution and ownership. Curator: Thinking about the piece this way definitely underscores the complex dynamics embedded within what seems, at first glance, to be a simple figural study. It opens so many doors! Editor: It's intriguing to see the artistic practice behind even the most unassuming works, recognizing these historical contingencies of making.