The Farnese Palace (Farnesiorum palatium) c. 16th century

Editor: This is Hendrick van Cleve III's "The Farnese Palace," a striking print. The bull-baiting scene in the foreground is quite intense. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The bull-baiting, a tradition stretching back to antiquity, becomes a charged symbol here. It speaks to the power dynamics of the era. The Palace as backdrop—what cultural memory does that juxtaposition evoke? Editor: So the violence in the foreground contrasts with the stability of the palace? Is that intentional, do you think? Curator: Precisely! Think of the bull as a symbol of untamed nature, pitted against the order represented by architecture. The scene preserves a ritual; an ancient struggle. What do you take away from this? Editor: I never thought of the buildings as holding history like that. It gives the piece more depth.