Illustration XLV c. 16th century

Curator: This image, titled "Illustration XLV", is an intriguing piece from an anonymous artist. Editor: It feels like chaos barely contained. So much movement, so much… fleeing. What’s happening? Curator: I see Eneas there, according to the banner held above him. And that banner by the other figure suggests it's Helen. It appears to depict a scene of escape, perhaps a key moment from classical literature? Editor: Those figures riding the bulls, though! The bulls are practically swimming in a sea of frantic lines. It’s like the artist translated panic into pure visual energy. But it works, doesn't it? Like a raw nerve laid bare. Curator: It speaks to the urgency of the moment. I find myself contemplating the stories these symbols evoke, those echoes of cultural memory that images like this hold, even across centuries. Editor: Exactly! It's a simple image, but it holds so much frantic storytelling. It makes you wonder about the stories we'll leave behind.