Seven liberal arts c. 1529

Editor: This intriguing print, titled "Seven Liberal Arts" by an anonymous artist, divides the arts into stacked registers. What is particularly striking is the way each figure is framed within an archway filled with tools and materials. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's a fascinating glimpse into the hierarchy of knowledge. Notice how these "arts" – agriculture, architecture, even surgery – are personified as women. What does that say about the accessibility, or lack thereof, to these fields in the time this was made? Editor: That's an interesting point, especially considering how male-dominated those fields would later become. Curator: Precisely! This work reflects a moment in history where the conceptual understanding of these disciplines was being shaped and disseminated, in ways that are both familiar and foreign to our modern sensibilities. I’ve learned a new perspective today. Editor: Me too, thank you!