Plate 4: Bertoldo stuffed in a sack, from "Bertoldo, Bertoldino, and Cacasenno" 1705 - 1715

Giuseppe Maria Crespi etched this plate for "Bertoldo, Bertoldino, and Cacasenno". The central motif is Bertoldo stuffed in a sack. The sack, historically, symbolizes concealment, burden, and often deception. It is a vessel that hides its contents. The image of a figure confined within a sack resonates with ancient myths and folklore, echoing stories of imprisonment and transformation. Think of the myth of Perseus, who carried Medusa's head in a sack, or even figures like Christ wrapped in burial shrouds. These symbols tap into our collective memory, where the sack becomes a container not just of objects but of potential and dread. The act of stuffing Bertoldo into a sack can be seen as an attempt to suppress his disruptive wisdom. It speaks to the human desire to control the uncontrollable, to contain that which threatens social order. This motif, charged with emotional intensity, reflects our eternal struggle to reconcile chaos and order, freedom and constraint, resonating deeply within our subconscious. The image is a cyclical recurrence, where ancient anxieties resurface in a new, satirical guise.