Paneel met Diana en twee amoretten c. 1670 - 1680

Editor: So, here we have Alexis Loir's "Panel with Diana and Two Cupids", created somewhere around 1670 to 1680. It’s an engraving, so ink on paper. There’s this dreamy, almost ornate quality to it... I am really intrigued. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Ah, Loir. This print sings of Baroque exuberance, doesn’t it? Diana, goddess of the hunt and the moon, sits regally amidst cupids, all framed within swirling ornamentation. It's like a visual feast! One could almost smell the powder and perfume of a French salon. Do you find that contrast between Diana's power and the playful cherubs compelling? Editor: I hadn’t really considered the contrast between them, no. They almost feel separate to me, visually – Diana centered and self-contained, surrounded by this flurry of cupids and scrolls. Curator: Indeed! It’s that tension – the classical ideal juxtaposed with the Rococo flourish – that sparks the engraving to life. Loir, being the clever artist he is, has fused solemn allegory with delightful embellishment. I wonder what stories this panel might have adorned…Perhaps it inspired sonnets and gossip in equal measure! Editor: I see that now. It’s more than just decoration, isn't it? There's a real story embedded. Curator: Absolutely! It’s an invitation to dream, a little escape into a world of gods, love, and perhaps a touch of mischievous plotting. A world seen through the fashionable lens of 17th century Paris, might I add. Editor: That’s a perfect way to look at it. I’ll never see it the same way again!