Tail-piece: Woman's Head (Cul-de-lampe: Buste de femme) 1600 - 1688

Claude Mellan crafted this tail-piece as an engraving, featuring a woman's head adorned with fruit, flanked by dolphins. Here, we see the convergence of terrestrial abundance and marine symbolism. The basket of fruit speaks to fertility and prosperity, while the dolphin motif has ancient roots, often associated with salvation, intelligence, and love. Consider, the dolphin's presence in Greco-Roman art, carrying souls to the afterlife, a motif echoing in Renaissance fountains and Baroque allegories. Note how the dolphins, symbols of fluidity and change, contrast with the static, idealized female bust. This juxtaposition embodies a tension between movement and stillness, life and artifice, perhaps reflecting humanity's complex relationship with nature. Through subconscious memory, Mellan invites us to dive deep into the human psyche and confront our primal connection to the natural world. It's a dance of symbols, constantly resurfacing, adapting, and speaking to us across time.