An old woman holding a mousetrap while a young girl holds a string attached to its tail 1750 - 1780

Niccolò Cavalli created this etching entitled "An old woman holding a mousetrap while a young girl holds a string attached to its tail." The eye is immediately drawn to the stark contrast between the figures and the subdued background. The composition, dominated by the almost geometrical precision of the mousetrap, divides the space, setting up a visual tension between the young girl and the old woman. Consider how Cavalli uses line and form. The fine, deliberate lines of the etching lend the scene a sense of controlled observation, typical of the Enlightenment's focus on reason. Yet, the arrangement—an old woman and a young girl poised over a trap—destabilizes any straightforward reading. The mousetrap becomes a sign, loaded with potential interpretations: a symbol of cunning, perhaps, or a meditation on innocence and experience. It leaves us questioning how these aesthetic elements converge to spark intellectual inquiry, highlighting art's capacity to spur critical thought.