Arabie, from "Jeu de la Géographie" 1644

Stefano della Bella etched "Arabie" as part of his "Jeu de la Géographie," a series of playing cards. The figure embodies the orient. In her turban and flowing robes, she carries incense, cassia, and cinnamon. Consider the gesture of her hand, palm open in offering. It echoes the "adlocutio" motif, prevalent in Roman imperial imagery. The emperor, in this pose, addresses his troops, bestowing favor and authority. Yet, here, the gesture seems softened. The open hand might also evoke the "manus Dei," the hand of God, a symbol of divine blessing. This slippage, this merging of power and grace, reveals the fascinating persistence of symbols. How the same gesture resurfaces, its original meaning transformed, infused with new cultural significance. We are left to ponder the shifting currents of history, how symbols, like restless spirits, migrate and adapt, forever haunting our collective memory.