Design for a Processional Float 1600 - 1700

Curator: This work, an ink and colored pencil drawing entitled "Design for a Processional Float," dates from sometime in the 17th century and is currently held at the Metropolitan Museum. The creator of the work remains anonymous. Editor: It feels celebratory, doesn't it? But also strangely unsettling, with the skeletal figures perched on the sides. A real contrast in celebratory symbolism and stark reminders of mortality. Curator: It's true; the interplay between allegorical figures representing virtues and these stark reminders of death is fascinating. The skeletons function as "memento mori," symbols reminding viewers of their own mortality. During this period, such emblems were included to evoke reflection on the transient nature of life. It also reminds us that such processionals often accompanied religious feasts and celebrations, the symbols and iconography related to those. Editor: I see, and that reading is deepened by the presence of what looks like virtues leading the way to Heaven and its rewards, offering contrasting ideals of life and afterlife. Given its intended display context, it's no surprise the piece conveys socio-religious power and the hopes, as well as fears, it evokes. Curator: Exactly! Note the idealized figures atop each section of the float and, in particular, their association with religious icons. The drawing invites an investigation of a community's hopes of transcendence from life and the celebration of earthly achievement while confronting temporal fragility. The inclusion of architectural and landscape elements adds further symbolic weight, signifying the earthly and the divine realms. Editor: Yes, you are right! Those subtle yet carefully selected inclusions point to more elaborate narratives. These objects, even the seemingly minor ones, carry coded, often moral, messages for the viewing audiences, reminding them about life and death. Curator: Precisely. Considering the turbulent historical landscape of that era, this design underscores the dual anxieties of fleeting power and promises of transcendence. It becomes not merely decorative, but culturally revealing. Editor: It certainly does open up interesting ways to view the social milieu in the artwork's original moment of display. Such contrasts make it a strong case study!