Three Stags, sitting in the ground, buildings in background 1495 - 1505

Curator: What immediately strikes me is how dreamlike this print feels; like waking to a scene half-remembered. Editor: I can see that. We're looking at "Three Stags, sitting in the ground, buildings in background," an etching attributed to Nicoletto da Modena, created sometime between 1495 and 1505. The Renaissance fascination with classical ruins juxtaposed with nature really stands out. Curator: Yes, those ruins. Nicoletto da Modena is presenting us with an ancient language of architecture, literally overgrown and collapsing. What lingers are these archetypal stag figures, which evoke, for me, classical mythology but also heraldry. Are they simply decorative, or symbolic of something deeper? Editor: Perhaps they are a claim to nobility through land ownership—a family crest rendered through idealized nature? The Renaissance interest in reclaiming classical aesthetics often served distinct political agendas. Notice how the buildings themselves in the background represent civic structures. This print feels like an allegory of power dynamics. Curator: And it’s worth remembering how alchemical stag imagery represented purity and intuition. Perhaps this is not a display of political power but instead a subtle assertion of an unspoiled moral compass at the dawn of humanism? Editor: I find myself wondering if that "purity" you speak of had space for the vast majority of people existing in society during that era. Still, considering your point, could these resting stags also function as guardians over civilization depicted behind them? There’s a certain melancholy evoked in this composition…almost as if to remind its viewers about the temporary nature of our world. Curator: Nicoletto seems to be creating a parallel—the lasting, regenerative qualities of nature contrasting with human society's eventual decay. We have buildings both intact and in ruin; vegetation in full flourish, against decaying architecture, guarding those silent watchful stags... Editor: I agree. Looking at this work through the lens of modern political movements concerned with the environmental crisis adds even greater resonance to Nicoletto da Modena's art. The past continues to provoke dialogue about the present and inform our futures. Curator: Absolutely. We should continue this line of inquiry.