Design for a monument; verso: Architectural sketches 1686 - 1724

Editor: So, this is "Design for a monument; verso: Architectural sketches" by Pieter Verbruggen the Younger, dating somewhere between 1686 and 1724. It's a drawing – looks like ink – for a monument, housed at the Met. It definitely has a… theatrical vibe, almost like a stage set. The bull's head at the top is quite striking! What strikes you most about this sketch? Curator: Ah, theatrical indeed! And slightly macabre, don’t you think? That veiled figure at the base, emerging from what seems to be a tomb… I always feel a chill when I look at it. The Baroque loved its drama, of course, and this sketch oozes it. But look closer—notice how fleeting the lines are, almost hesitant, especially around the angel. Editor: Yes! The angel does seem a bit… uncertain. Like it might fly off at any moment. So, it's Baroque. Does the bull's head carry any specific symbolism of that time? Curator: Good question. The bull, throughout history, has been loaded with symbolism: power, sacrifice, fertility. Given the funereal context, and the veiled figure possibly representing death, it might signify the power that transcends mortality. Or, conversely, the beastly, earthly nature that even monuments cannot escape. Verbruggen is playing with these tensions. He asks us, What survives? Editor: I see, the ambiguity is key. What survives - or what *should* survive in our memories? That makes it so much more complex than just a pretty sketch. Curator: Exactly! It’s a reminder that even grandiose monuments are just fleeting gestures against the vastness of time. Did anything unexpected arise from your review of the piece? Editor: Definitely the layered symbolism and Verbruggen’s deft handling of implied meanings. What started as a straightforward sketch has now opened a whole new door into the cultural perspective of Baroque monument design.