Slaget mellem romerne og tarentinerne 1574

Curator: Immediately, it strikes me as a whirlwind. Chaos wonderfully captured, though undeniably violent. What’s your first take on this? Editor: Chaos, definitely. But controlled chaos, almost designed. The tightly interwoven lines—the woodcut technique really lends itself to that intensity. This is Tobias Stimmer’s “The Battle between the Romans and the Tarentines," from 1574. Currently, it lives here at the SMK. Curator: It’s amazing how he achieves so much depth and movement with such a limited palette, it feels medieval. The elephants, they dominate the scene. Their looming presence becomes a symbol in itself, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely, the elephant functioned as an explicit symbol of exotic foreignness in the cultural imaginary of early modern Europe. They’re magnificent, aren't they? See how they’re armored? Each topped with soldiers within turret-like structures! Almost like mobile fortresses in themselves! I see shields bearing faces in the background, do they signal some family or clan ties? Curator: The detail is exquisite. The engraver has paid a lot of attention to rendering the texture of armor, skin, the distressed figures. Each helmet gleams, each contorted face expressing desperation. All very effective and slightly gruesome I would say. Editor: Indeed! Those shields with faces could represent ancestral lineage. Or maybe heraldic devices indicating allegiances and reinforcing identities amid the melee. The Romans and Tarentines clearly used different emblems. Curator: So this piece becomes more than just a depiction of war, it's also about the iconography and construction of history through symbols? Editor: Exactly. Stimmer’s woodcut invites us to consider how visual emblems weave narratives of power, memory, and cultural identity across generations. Those emblems connect us to that specific moment. It is worth spending more time considering how we shape history and preserve the past through these very powerful visual tools. Curator: Indeed, I find myself lingering on the idea that through a simple artwork one may be granted access to whole epochs, the way we understand the world, warfare and ourselves. Editor: A beautiful collision between past and present within the confines of this detailed engraving. Food for thought!