Pegasus 1509 - 1516

Curator: Well, I am immediately struck by the raw energy, like a contained storm! The Pegasus seems restless, muscles coiled, ready to bolt off the paper. It's a very grounded image, even though we know Pegasus is the most winged of beings. Editor: Here we have "Pegasus" an engraving by Jacopo de' Barbari, dating from the early 16th century. Look closely, and you will find de' Barbari also added his signature symbol of the caduceus, which suggests at the same time healing, commerce, and diplomacy. The themes of form, figuration and mythology meet at the heart of Renaissance exploration. Curator: Hmm, so you are picking up on the more civic virtues? For me, that caduceus is much smaller than Pegasus, almost as though to admit defeat: there are limits to all those civilising dreams. And how often have humans tried to catch, bridle or even eat that divine horse. Look at those tense hindquarters! This engraving reads, in some ways, as a tragic struggle to fly. Editor: But doesn't that also express the core Renaissance ambition to blend classical wisdom with earthly knowledge, almost a yearning to reconcile the real and ideal? Pegasus, who sprang from Medusa’s blood when Perseus severed her head, embodies divine inspiration—in that, it makes complete sense that Jacopo wants Pegasus to signify an era committed to artistic, intellectual, and spiritual rebirth. Even those wings – too small and strangely feathered for their mythic form. What's that about? Curator: Exactly, I think those "small and strangely feathered" wings ARE the whole point! The sheer strain is visible and he could simply take off! Think about it like this: what if, Pegasus remains here of his own will. It isn't constrained—merely held to the real? Editor: I am hearing something slightly melancholic, I think! Perhaps a sign to artists? A reminder that the source of inspiration can be powerful, wild, and even a little bit dangerous? Curator: It would fit for de' Barbari’s period... a world moving away from purely symbolic representation towards a form that accepted flaws and individuality, perhaps. Anyway, it gives me something to think about! Editor: Me too; let’s move on, before we get TOO inspired!