Hope 1610 - 1642

Editor: So this is "Hope," an etching by Pierre Brebiette, dating back to the 17th century. There's something so still, yet expectant, about her pose, gazing upwards with that anchor nearby. What exactly are we meant to glean from those details? Curator: This image is part of a long tradition of personifying abstract concepts, and "Hope," or Spes in Latin, carries particular visual baggage. Notice how the anchor, her attribute, speaks to the concept of steadfastness amid storms. She is literally anchored, but what kind of cultural expectations does this imagery stir? Editor: I suppose that the ships sailing away point to travels and a reliance on faith in voyages. It also reminds us that those voyages may never arrive to their destination. What would life at sea at this time truly mean to its contemporary audiences? Curator: Exactly. For a 17th-century viewer, these maritime symbols would resonate deeply. Sea travel was fraught with peril. But what about her upward gaze, juxtaposed with the earthly anchor? Do you feel this contrast reinforces or complicates her representation of 'hope?' Editor: It definitely complicates it. The upward gaze signifies aspirations or deliverance, perhaps divinely guided or granted. It does convey that a life lived at sea, and on Earth, is an experience lived within limitations. Curator: Yes, and her somewhat bare form, typical of allegorical representations, strips her of worldly distractions, focusing instead on this raw, reaching emotion. Notice also the flock of birds pointing into the distance, leading her eye into the upper corner of the print. In the act of representing hope as a person, and considering that this etching may reproduce a painting in circulation at the time, we can consider how those choices helped shape what "hope" meant. How might her symbolic power shifted, from then to now? Editor: It's fascinating how charged a seemingly simple image can be. Today, "hope" seems less tied to voyages and religion, and is perhaps a more individualized experience. I can now see it with totally new eyes. Curator: Precisely, it’s a lens through which we view both the past and present, questioning what symbols endure and how their meanings evolve.