Sibylle Phrygienne 1630 - 1640

Editor: So, this is "Sibylle Phrygienne" made between 1630 and 1640 by Gilles Rousselet. It's an engraving, a print on what looks like aged paper, and it's at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I'm really drawn to the texture achieved in the drapery and how it contrasts with the blank space behind her. How do you read this piece? Curator: I’m interested in the production of this print, particularly the materials and labour involved. The aged, toned paper, the engraving itself – these weren’t just neutral supports. The paper stock and the engraving technique speak to a specific workshop practice and a system of artisanal knowledge. Consider also the social function of this type of print. Editor: What do you mean by social function? Curator: Prints like these made art accessible beyond the wealthy. Think about how it’s not just about displaying artistic skill, but also about distributing images, ideas, and perhaps even a certain ideology linked to that classical subject matter. How might it have been consumed? Was it a collector's item or a popular image to spread certain historical values? What about the value attached to the physical print and the labor involved in its creation? Editor: That’s a great point, shifting away from thinking just about ‘artistic expression’ and more toward the context of making and distributing images at that time. The act of printing itself became a form of communication and knowledge production. Curator: Precisely. It urges us to examine not only the aesthetic choices but the socio-economic structures that made its production and distribution possible. A deep dive in materiality invites more inclusive understandings. Editor: That definitely gives me a new perspective, thank you.