A Woman Spinning (recto); A Woman Holding a Bundle (verso) 1710 - 1767

Editor: Here we have Giacomo Ceruti's sketch, "A Woman Spinning (recto); A Woman Holding a Bundle (verso)", likely from sometime between 1710 and 1767. It's a simple pencil drawing on paper. The composition is direct, showing a woman at work. The whole scene feels quite intimate. What's your take on it? Curator: Intimate is a great word for it. For me, it whispers tales of domestic life in 18th-century Italy. Ceruti, you know, had this remarkable gift for capturing the quiet dignity of everyday folks, even amidst their toils. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, about her story? About the hours she spent at her wheel, spinning threads of existence, one loop at a time. Editor: Definitely! The unfinished figure in the background also seems to hint at a different story, or a life interrupted. I wonder what her world was like? Curator: A world away from our digitally-infused one, that’s for sure! What strikes me most about the image, if you really stop and look, is the sheer economy of line. Ceruti does so much with so little, capturing light, form, and emotion with these delicate strokes. You almost feel as if you are sitting right there, able to reach out and feel the soft cotton ready to be weaved. Have you worked much with textiles, or weaving yourself? Editor: Not at all! The image truly lets me think more about the stories that are conveyed, I'm going to have to see if the university offers courses. This peek at everyday life through a sketch makes you appreciate the work, even something we rarely think about today! Curator: Precisely! The mundane elevated by keen observation and the grace of an artist’s hand. Art is about these small daily struggles, a testament to the shared human experience and the value that still shines, all these centuries later.