"Spes et horror mortalium" 1796

"Spes et horror mortalium", or "Hope and horror of mortals," is an engraving by Meno Haas. Haas, who lived from 1752 to 1833, created this allegory which encapsulates the turbulent period between the Enlightenment and the rise of Romanticism. In the center, a woman stands precariously on a globe, offering a flowering branch, perhaps of laurel, to two figures. The figures, also women, are dressed in classical robes and stand together in a field, one leaning on what looks like a harpe. Behind the central figure, a bacchanal unfolds with figures dancing amidst dark trees. Consider how the classical garb harkens back to ancient ideals of virtue and beauty, ideals which were increasingly destabilized by the social upheavals of the late 18th century. Haas captures this tension, contrasting hope with a bacchanal. What are we to make of this moment of precarious balance and impending chaos? The engraving invites us to contemplate our own hopes and horrors in the face of mortality.