Plate 20: Cacasenno eating a bowl of pasta, from "Bertoldo, Bertoldino, and Cacasenno" 1705 - 1715

Editor: This is “Plate 20: Cacasenno eating a bowl of pasta, from "Bertoldo, Bertoldino, and Cacasenno" created sometime between 1705 and 1715 by Giuseppe Maria Crespi. It's an etching, so the lines are delicate, and it feels almost like a quick sketch. What do you make of it? Curator: It’s a glimpse into a world far removed from ours, isn't it? This unassuming image is actually brimming with…dare I say, controlled chaos! Crespi takes a trope – a humorous, "low-life" scene – and elevates it. Look at the character’s posture, the almost devotional way he’s engaging with the pasta. There’s something wonderfully honest and unpretentious about it, don't you think? Editor: Definitely! I guess I was just expecting something grander from the Baroque period, maybe more dramatic. This is so…intimate. Curator: Exactly! Baroque doesn't always equal bombastic. Crespi was a master of infusing the everyday with a touch of poetry, a dash of irony. What does that line underneath the image suggest to you? The words are Italian. Editor: I wish I spoke Italian! Let me try Google Translate really quick… Okay, it says, “He eats his fill in the corner, and does not speak, so that he can restore sight to blind Cupid, thus patching his bowels." Huh. Curator: So, Crespi has created a scene of vulgar comedy. We observe both poverty and an appreciation for what one has, however simple it may be. This print invites us to contemplate the rich layers beneath the surface. It is a masterful example of taking the “lowly” and making it truly sublime! Editor: I see that so clearly now! It really does transform how I look at other works from this era. Curator: And that’s the joy of art, isn’t it? Always teaching, always revealing. Always leaving us…stomach rumbling!