Sfinxfiguur geflankeerd door putti 1729

Curator: Here we have Bernard Picart’s "Sfinxfiguur geflankeerd door putti", an engraving dating back to 1729, which calls to mind ornate Baroque sensibilities. What's your take on this at first glance? Editor: It feels playful yet unsettling. Like something ornate discovered in a child’s attic... there's a haunting quality despite all the cherubs. Curator: Interesting, and not entirely off-base, actually. This piece really hinges on allegory and figuration, all classic Baroque conventions. See how the sphinx is not just a mythical creature, but almost like an idea? It is perched upon a stand as if it were a decorative table centerpiece! Editor: Yes! And that's what triggers the uncanny sensation... I wonder if it's a comment on how powerful symbols and figures of mystery are essentially tamed or domesticated to be appreciated as spectacle. What do you think is the symbolism between this winged sphinx and these little putti figures? They are not simply there as part of the backdrop. Curator: Well, the putti are typically associated with divine love. Their role is to guard the stand and hold what seem to be strings or chains that flank and constrict the Sphinx, a keeper of secrets and knowledge, an allegory of art and beauty at its finest. It is almost as if love tames the raw intensity of knowledge. Editor: It's the details in the lines that gets me… How the chains almost merge with foliage, the putti almost mirror each other in action, there's such considered symmetry despite what could come across as whimsical… This level of formality is fascinating when you realize this piece lives on a delicate medium. Curator: I agree, Picart's technical precision is marvelous! There is an interplay between containment and dynamism, the frame and open flow. Even now, as a study of symbols, there are layers upon layers that keep revealing new interpretations and connections. Editor: True... which keeps it both playfully decorative and, for me, still beautifully haunting. Curator: Haunting and delightful. Let's leave our listeners with that duality to ponder.