Van 64-jarige tot 80-jarige leeftijd: de Toscaanse orde 1577

Editor: Okay, so here we have a print, "From age 64 to 80: the Tuscan order", made in 1577 by Wierix. It's a very busy engraving, full of figures and architectural details. It's kind of unsettling, actually... a bit like a fever dream. So much is going on! What do you make of it? Curator: Unsettling is a good word for it. This isn't just a snapshot of daily life; it's Wierix wrestling with mortality. See how he uses this Mannerist style, twisting the figures and cramming the space? It mirrors the anxieties around aging and death that were prevalent in the late 16th century. That tree, for instance, stark and barren – it’s more than just decoration, isn't it? Editor: It's definitely a striking symbol, drawing the eye upwards. Is it fair to read that image as an allegory? Curator: Absolutely! Wierix is using allegory to talk about something deeply personal. Each little scene tells part of a larger story: some folks carousing around a table while others look on in despair, all against this looming architectural backdrop that almost feels oppressive. Notice, though, how even within the shadows, there is life, laughter, and drama, always drama! A bit ironic. Editor: It is quite dark in tone but, yes, even amusing at times. And now I notice that even this death figure that is referenced in the script text included in the engraving. Curator: A visual poem! It's a dance of death and life. That’s why it keeps pulling us in, I think. Editor: I never would have thought an old engraving could be so relatable! Now when I think about art of that period I think more broadly beyond the static art of great people, and consider all walks of life, as expressed with emotion in art of the everyman. Curator: Exactly! And to think this has been here all along. Makes you wonder what other stories are hiding in plain sight.