Verzoeking van een heilige door de duivel c. 1579 - 1622

Curator: Looking at this intriguing engraving from around the late 16th to early 17th century, titled "The Temptation of a Saint by the Devil," what immediately strikes you? Editor: The stark contrast, really. It's primarily black and white, typical of engravings, but there's something unsettling in how that sharp delineation reinforces the binary opposition between saint and devil, and, implicitly, good and evil. The devil is looming, so much larger. Curator: Size as a representation of power or menace? Absolutely. The engraving technique really amplifies that visual dynamic. The artist, Geronima Cagnaccia Parasole, masterfully employs hatching and cross-hatching. Consider, though, that this piece speaks to the fraught socio-political environment of its time. Religious anxieties are inescapable. We can view the saint's temptation as allegorical for broader challenges to faith. Editor: Indeed, the visual language here draws from a rich tradition. Winged demons and saints; they are symbols instantly readable by the contemporary audience. Think of all the associations conjured up by wings, claws, or a halo, the narrative that they tell beyond the immediately visible story. The monster's half-animalistic, half-humanoid form embodies the blurred boundaries between human and something more primal, darker. Curator: Right, but it also intersects with period conceptions of the “other.” What constitutes humanity? Who is considered civilized? The monster could signify marginalized groups demonized within that society, those stigmatized as embodying unruly desires and thoughts. What kind of behaviors society wanted to eschew at the time, would be embedded in that kind of representation, but rendered safely "monstrous." Editor: A crucial perspective. Now that you mention the social perspective, look at that strange structure, almost dollhouse-like with an exaggerated pitched roof on the left! And look closely—what is going on with the creature cowering under the devil's arm and robe? Curator: Let’s zoom in on that. By recognizing those sorts of details and challenging our contemporary assumptions, we can actually reclaim the art history as something relevant. Thank you. Editor: Likewise. This artwork presents a complex relationship between faith and social control communicated through enduring visual metaphor.