H. Peter de Regalado c. 1710 - 1780

Curator: It’s called “H. Peter de Regalado,” attributed to the brothers Klauber, created sometime between 1710 and 1780. What strikes you first about this piece? Editor: The frame itself is alive. Look at how it seems to writhe and coil with foliage and cherubic faces, it has this energy that almost seems to want to burst beyond its borders! Curator: The Klauber brothers were engravers, so we’re seeing incredible detail rendered through the meticulous work of carving into a metal plate. I wonder about the choice of St. Peter Regalado as a subject during that time period, given the church's complex relationship with enlightenment ideals. Editor: Precisely, Regalado was a Franciscan, so this piece speaks to power structures. We see the saint kneeling in humble prayer before a rustic structure—a calculated contrast. Look closely at the skull near him, symbolizing mortality but also suggesting he's in constant dialogue with his own demise. This isn't just piety, it's a negotiation of power within a deeply stratified society. Curator: Ah, the skull! I read it as a quiet contemplation, but your point about power resonates, especially considering the ornate framing. It's as if the artist is simultaneously honoring and questioning the subject's place in the divine order, I sense a personal grapple with spirituality within this artwork. Editor: Exactly! There’s that phrase at the top "In meditatione mea exardescet ignis.” In my meditation, a fire shall blaze." Is this the fire of religious zeal or inner turmoil? The engraving offers no easy answers. Also, consider how printing and engraving influenced democratization of knowledge, challenging elitist doctrines of the time. Curator: Yes! These prints found their way into commonplace books, challenging singular interpretations of the world through wider consumption. Editor: This piece then becomes not only devotional object but tool that helped forge social consciousness, linking spirituality to broader debates surrounding agency and social justice! It forces us to ponder, “What fire are *we* tending through *our* contemplations? Curator: What a lovely idea! Well said.