Eenhoorn before 1650

Curator: Looking at this engraving from before 1650, made by Antonio Tempesta, what stands out to you, Editor? Editor: Its texture! All of those precisely laid lines suggesting depth and dimension are beautiful; that's really meticulous and demanding labor. Curator: Exactly. Tempesta, used engraving to create a striking, albeit slightly fantastical, rendering of a unicorn in "Eenhoorn". We know it today by its Dutch name, of course, as this print is part of the Rijksmuseum collection. Consider the means of its production: acid-etched lines on a metal plate. Editor: And within a wider societal context, we need to examine this depiction through the lens of power dynamics. Unicorns often symbolized purity and grace, qualities historically associated with women. The pursuit and capture of a unicorn could represent patriarchal control. The figures actively trying to hunt the animals drive that point home. Curator: That's a compelling interpretation. Focusing on the process and labor here—Tempesta was an extremely skilled printmaker. Engravings like these were often reproduced, disseminated widely and inexpensively for scientific or instructional purposes—far from what we think of now as precious "fine art". Editor: I also read this landscape through an intersectional lens. How does the animal’s vulnerability as prey speak to our present era’s socio-political struggles for self-determination? Its power—embodied in the singular horn—is also a beacon of resistance. Curator: Thinking about this engraving now, I am also curious about its commercial aspects—was this artwork, reproduced so many times, merely for art’s sake, or perhaps an artisan’s sample catalog? Editor: For me, "Eenhoorn" becomes a poignant metaphor—resilience against oppression and reclamation. It calls to us across centuries.