Pax en Justitia in omhelzing, zittend op wolken 1679

Editor: Here we have “Pax en Justitia in omhelzing, zittend op wolken”, or “Peace and Justice Embracing, Seated on Clouds,” an engraving made in 1679 by Gilles Rousselet. I find this such a strange and lovely image – justice, in full armour, snuggling up to peace amongst fluffy clouds! How do you read it? Curator: It's delightful, isn’t it? There’s something almost dreamlike about this image; Rousselet takes these powerful allegorical figures and puts them in a literally elevated, imaginative space. It really captures the baroque spirit, where drama and grandeur were used to convey deeper meanings. How do you feel about the somewhat unusual pairing? Editor: Well, Peace and Justice, you know? Oil and water, maybe? Curator: Precisely! And there, I think, lies the beauty. The artist shows them *embracing*. Not warring, not negotiating, but embracing! This suggests a vital, yet perhaps uneasy, union, the kind that’s always a work in progress. The symbols – the olive branch for Pax, the sword, helmet, and scales (now hidden) for Justitia – they're like reminders of what each brings to the table, or, in this case, to the cloud. But are they really on the same cloud, or does the artwork propose a possibility? Editor: That's an interesting observation, peace being balanced between strength and... potential violence? Curator: Indeed. Rousselet compels us to imagine not merely a ceasefire, but a synthesis where strength serves serenity and wisdom tempers might. Does the piece feel optimistic or cautionary, do you think? Editor: I guess it is optimistic - an ideal to aspire to! I originally perceived only sweetness in their embrace. Curator: Ah, yes! We might all wish it so, and this speaks to the power of art and its symbology!