Hebzucht (Avaritia) en Vrijgevigheid (Liberalitas) 1608 - 1650

Curator: Pierre Brebiette created this engraving, “Hebzucht (Avaritia) en Vrijgevigheid (Liberalitas),” sometime between 1608 and 1650. Immediately, the stark contrast strikes me; one figure is hunched and grasping, the other upright and open-handed. Editor: Yes, a striking diptych. Visually, there’s such a clear dichotomy here: the shadowy, crowded space on the left compared to the airy openness on the right. The first, with what I’m assuming represents Avarice, it almost looks as if they are desperately trying to contain something that is constantly about to spill over. It looks uncomfortable, right? Curator: Indeed. The figure of Avaritia is consumed by wealth, but she's also imprisoned by it, right? Her gaze is fixed downward, focused solely on accumulation. Snakes for hair! And Liberalitas—Generosity— is elevated on clouds, raining down coins effortlessly with this open expression. These aren't just portraits, right? They are symbolic figures within this established allegorical tradition that served didactic functions at the time. Editor: Didactic yes, and perhaps politically charged? This period in Europe saw dramatic shifts in wealth and class. Print culture became a critical tool for disseminating social and political commentary. Perhaps these figures represent a wider anxiety of social imbalance? A sort of "us" and "them"? How interesting that the snakes in her hair are echoes of Medusa who in current context can be a powerful figure for female rage! Curator: That’s an interesting insight! Snakes have such rich, ambivalent symbolism. In some ways here, they function to remind me of classical concepts: Medusa can protect a treasure. Avarice may have its treasure under tight protection, it still feels sterile and cold to me. Editor: Yes, exactly, it is protective but at the cost of her emotional and intellectual life! Which perhaps also suggests something about the period? Maybe it suggests anxiety about rising power or greed? Brebiette’s engraving is an invitation to engage with a deeply engrained history. Curator: For me it really brings to light the concept of value, what is truly valuable versus what we are conditioned to desire. This work will continue to echo for generations. Editor: It asks us: what does it truly mean to be generous and to give, or to accumulate? Are they mutually exclusive, historically contingent concepts? Brebiette sparks something deeply entrenched and unsettling!