Portret van Tiberio Fiorilli in de rol van Scaramuccia (Scaramouche) c. 1680 - 1682

Curator: Immediately striking is the energy in this engraving, a portrait of Tiberio Fiorilli, or Scaramouche, from around 1680-1682 by Jean Lepautre. Look at the detail achieved using only pen and ink. Editor: Yes, and what a showcase of skill! The etching style creates a certain theatrical quality, doesn't it? Like a playbill announcing a performance. The texture is incredible for such simple materials. Curator: Precisely! The engraving captures the flamboyance of Scaramouche, a stock character from the Commedia dell'Arte. Note the surrounding ornamentation. Do you recognize the objects depicted? Editor: Certainly. There are instruments alluding to his profession, culinary props that remind one of the raw materials from a mercantile market. Those elements speak to a very distinct material culture that shaped the art's context. Curator: Exactly. Scaramouche was known for his wit and cunning. These details point to broader symbolic roles. For example, birds were associated with cleverness. Perhaps a message regarding liberation of class or mindset is a possibility? Editor: Interesting... Given the labor and resources required for creating these kinds of engravings and considering the networks that supported such production, I suspect a slightly different symbolic framework would prevail. There is more of an attitude of elevated craftsmanship, and it would only make sense that such a statement aligns itself with established status hierarchies rather than question them. Curator: Well, this reading poses an interesting question regarding artistic innovation. Does this artistic format merely exist to perpetuate certain hierarchical views? Perhaps Lepautre employed them in clever new ways that also challenged such societal mores. Editor: It’s definitely something to continue chewing on. This piece pushes us to rethink these very terms and understand where the tensions truly lie, even centuries later. Curator: A brilliant image for starting such critical debates.