Sanguinisch temperament 1549 - 1591

This small, anonymous print titled "Sanguinisch Temperament," presents us with potent symbols of human disposition. The central figure, a woman playing a flute, embodies the sanguine personality – sociable, pleasure-seeking, and light-hearted. But consider the mischievous Cupid aiming his arrow atop monkeys; symbols of unchecked desire and playful folly since antiquity. These motifs don’t exist in isolation. Cupid's arrow, echoing through centuries of art, becomes a tool of both love and irrational impulse. The flute, an instrument of Dionysian revelry in ancient Greece, finds its way here, signifying joy. These symbols echo and transform across time, embedding themselves in our collective consciousness. The interplay between these symbols and their psychological weight evokes a powerful, if unsettling, vision of the human psyche. It’s an open question, really, inviting us to explore the cyclical nature of symbols and their endurance across cultures.