Zwitserse jongeman met een jonge vrouw in wapenrusting 1751 - 1778

Editor: This is Johann Joseph Störchlin’s etching, "Zwitserse jongeman met een jonge vrouw in wapenrusting", placing it somewhere between 1751 and 1778. I’m really struck by how the figures, despite their old-timey garb, seem almost playful, like characters in a woodland masquerade. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, my dear, playful is absolutely the word! Störchlin gives us a world tilted ever so slightly into the realm of theatrical fancy. Notice how the lines themselves seem to dance and twirl! Look closely at the cupid hiding amongst the foliage...don't you find it charming, the way the artist leads our eye with such delicacy from the amorous cherub down to the two central figures holding hands. What a story the engraver seems to weave. It hints at youthful courtship in times of peace. Perhaps a brief respite? Does it remind you of anything you've been reading, or maybe seen on stage? Editor: It kind of reminds me of a pastoral scene from a Shakespearean comedy. So you think the landscape and the Cupid give the figures context? Curator: Exactly. This image is a fleeting glimpse into a bygone era, carefully reconstructed into something not so tangible. The armor itself... what is it guarding, or is the picture a representation of something more fragile, something to be loved? Does Störchlin give it to us whole, or are we left guessing to wonder forever after it has slipped away. Perhaps we will remember the impression it left behind like whispers in the woods long after the troupe has left. The way light can dance behind leaves, what a precious little rendering. It gets me thinking about time, memory, and maybe just the perfect costume drama. What do you think? Editor: I definitely see the playfulness more now and that maybe there's also something deeper. It's fun to consider it as an open-ended narrative, kind of like a glimpse into someone's dream. Thanks!