Clytie c. 18th century

Curator: This is Francesco Bartolozzi's "Clytie." It's a stipple engraving, capturing a mythological scene, now residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It has this melancholic air, doesn't it? Like a memory fading at the edges. The woman is regal but somehow resigned. Curator: Yes, Clytie was a nymph who loved Apollo, the sun god. Her unrequited love led her to watch him endlessly, transforming her into a sunflower, always facing the sun. Editor: The sunflower! Such a potent symbol of longing and devotion. And there’s Cupid, offering a thorny vine. Is he offering love or warning her about its sting? Curator: Perhaps both. Bartolozzi's work often plays with these ambiguities, contrasting classical beauty with human frailty. It reminds us that even divine love can lead to sorrow. Editor: It makes you think about what we choose to fixate on, and how that shapes who we become. Curator: Exactly. It’s like love and obsession blurred into a single, heartbreaking image.