Sobrietas 1557

Curator: This image, "Sobrietas," comes to us from Hans Collaert the Elder. Editor: The tight cross-hatching really gives a sense of weight, doesn't it? Both to the figure and her drapery. Curator: Indeed. Sobrietas, or sobriety, is presented as a virtue, holding a large key. Keys often signify control, authority, or access to knowledge. Editor: And she stands on a rather unhappy looking lizard. This print is so tiny! I wonder about the labor involved in such delicate work, and how it was circulated. Curator: The lizard symbolizes base desires being suppressed by reason. The image speaks to the Renaissance values of self-control and moderation. Editor: Thinking about the process of engraving… I imagine the focused, almost meditative work required to carve these fine lines. It mirrors the very virtue it depicts. Curator: Yes, the medium reinforces the message. A powerful connection between the hand, the mind, and the ideal. Editor: It makes you think about the things we choose to give weight to, doesn't it? Curator: Precisely. And how those choices shape us.