Battle of the Israelites outside the City of Jerusalem c. 17th century

Editor: Here we have Matthäus Merian the Elder's "Battle of the Israelites outside the City of Jerusalem." It's a print, quite small actually, but it feels so chaotic! What's your take on this scene? Curator: Ah, yes! It's a perfect storm of tiny lines creating a tempest, isn't it? I see a dance with death, a macabre ballet played out with miniature figures. Do you feel the artist is glorifying war, or showing its grisliness? Editor: I suppose it could be both, couldn't it? The detail is incredible, but it's also overwhelming. Curator: Exactly! Perhaps Merian is telling us that war itself is overwhelming, a clash of ideologies and egos reduced to a frenzied, brutal mess. The scale belies the enormity of it all. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way. It’s like a miniature epic, full of fury. Curator: Indeed. And sometimes the greatest truths are found in the smallest packages.