It is done, I will never see her again! 1780

Curator: This delicate image, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums, is by Philippe Trière. Editor: It’s strikingly despairing; the scene is draped in sorrow, a sense of finality pervades. Curator: Indeed. The print, whose title translates to "It is done, I will never see her again!", seems to depict a moment of irrevocable loss. Editor: I find myself wondering about the social context of grief during Trière’s time. What were the expected modes of mourning? Curator: The period certainly had formalized rituals, but I am more drawn to the image itself, and how it is presented as this scene of intimate, personal suffering. Editor: Perhaps the true power lies in the tension between societal expectations and individual experiences of loss, a dialogue that continues to resonate. Curator: A poignant point, and it seems we’ve both found a thread that connects this piece to our own time.