Pride 

Curator: Jakob Binck, a fascinating artist of the Northern Renaissance, created this little engraving, a print entitled "Pride." Editor: Tiny, yes, and quite intriguing! At first glance, I'm struck by the density of line work—almost like looking at a topographic map. And the subject? Is that a rather self-satisfied cherub admiring itself with… a peacock? It all feels a bit baroque, even though it's much earlier. Curator: That's a keen observation! It has been observed that this piece might actually be a miniature engraving, meaning it could easily fit into the palm of your hand. As for the "cherub," that's actually meant to be an allegorical representation of Pride itself, preening with the peacock as a symbol of vanity. It's a pretty clever condensation of an abstract concept into a single image, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. And placing it within the context of the Renaissance really highlights the cultural obsession with classical themes while also reflecting anxieties around emerging individual identity and social status. Is she really free if that vanity enslaves her to the social order of the time? Curator: A very salient question, and one Binck is likely inviting us to contemplate! Look closer; even the direction she is looking is interesting—upwards, towards the literal symbols of status hanging just above. What about that composition do you notice as you look further in? Editor: There's an uncomfortable asymmetry, a sort of instability, with the figure on one side, the bird sort of on the other. Her gaze pulls us off balance too, right? I get this sense of…disquiet. Is she enjoying this performance, or trapped by it? The horizontal hatching on the wall emphasizes a sense of confinement too. Curator: See, this is why I adore discussing art with you! That unease is so palpable here. These are times when the world of "beauty" was becoming something, arguably, for which some will always "pay a price". The whole work is, if you will, "proudly anxious". Editor: Well, on that note, maybe it invites us to also look at our own relationship with the idea of “Pride” in the current day as well. The struggle for dignity—and, indeed, against that self-aggrandizement and vanity you mentioned. So many interpretations from one tiny print! Curator: Exactly. From microcosm to macrocosm...it's what makes art such an adventure!