Heliogabalus door de senaat en de soldaten met zijn moeder vermoord 1628 - 1682

Curator: Jean Lepautre created this intaglio print, a pen drawing from somewhere between 1628 and 1682, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The scene is titled, "Heliogabalus Murdered by the Senate and Soldiers with His Mother". Editor: Whoa, total chaos! It looks like a stage set for an opera gone completely sideways. The frantic energy jumps right out—swords raised, faces twisted in anger and fear… feels like the climax of some gruesome history play. Curator: Indeed. The artist uses the baroque style to underscore the drama. Note the dynamic lines of the figures, all angled and energetic, emphasizing the story's inherent violence. The theatrical drapery adds to that drama. Semiotically, we can read the spears as phallic symbols, and the draped stage represents the theater of corruption that surrounded Heliogabalus's reign. Editor: That curtain *is* pretty extra. But all those angry spears steal the scene. It’s hard to focus when everything is in your face all at once, you know? And who is that dude, anyway? Heliogaba-what now? Curator: Heliogabalus was a Roman emperor known for his decadence. His reign ended in assassination. Here, Lepautre stages the narrative—the moment when senators and soldiers turned against the emperor. The figures in the background are smaller and rendered with less detail, creating an artificial depth of field. This emphasizes the foreground's violence and clarifies the overall narrative. Editor: Oh, right, history! See, without context, I’m just picking up vibes, you know? And it’s not subtle. The artist basically screams "bad vibes!". Looking closer, it's kind of funny how seriously everyone takes themselves. Curator: That serious rendering provides emotional weight. The precision engraving shows incredible skill; the line work is elaborate, giving texture and shape to clothing, bodies, and even background objects. Every visual detail speaks to baroque ideals—complexity, drama, and didactic intent. Editor: Right, right. Skill. Drama. What I keep seeing, though, is a director losing control of his actors. All those crazy eyes… it's… intense. Though after spending a couple minutes with this thing I gotta say: The chaos starts to make sense and reveals the dark truth of political instability. I feel as though I am witness. Curator: Yes. And seeing this print, we must consider that it may carry the weight of critique regarding leadership and power. Lepautre created a spectacle. Editor: Indeed, this engraving left its mark on me as an echo of darker human tendencies. A complex dance between mastery and madness, captured in ink.