Deugd van Scipio 1795

Editor: Okay, so this is “Deugd van Scipio,” or “The Virtue of Scipio,” an engraving from 1795 by Ludwig Gottlieb Portman, currently hanging in the Rijksmuseum. It strikes me as…noble? I’m getting a real sense of classical virtue and almost stoicism, even from a black and white print. What do you make of it? Curator: Ah, yes, another dive into the delicious pool of Neoclassicism! It's so controlled, isn’t it? All these lovely Roman noses and calculated drapery... This piece reminds me of that strange tension, you know? Like trying to contain a volcano under a marble slab. I see it and I wonder, what story lies simmering under this serene surface? Have you any clues? Editor: Well, it seems to depict a Roman general, maybe Scipio himself, returning a woman to her family… possibly a captive? It does look rather magnanimous, but I guess the devil’s in the details we can't quite grasp. Curator: Exactly! It's about the *idea* of virtue, rather than the nitty-gritty reality, which, knowing history, was likely a lot messier. It wants us to believe in a certain idealized version of Roman character... a fascinating PR exercise from the late 18th century, wouldn't you say? Perhaps with a healthy dollop of wishful thinking. The artist is inviting us to ponder our moral compass through the rosy lenses of a bygone era, one we’ve mythologized beyond recognition! I mean, think of the narrative liberties… *chef’s kiss* Editor: So, less about historical accuracy and more about projecting values? It does make you think about what ‘virtue’ even meant then, versus what it means today. Curator: Precisely. It’s a conversation starter, really. An elegant, albeit slightly stuffy, invitation to ponder our place in the grand theater of moral choices! I might want that on a T-shirt!