Von allerhandt Freudenvöglen, illustration from Petrarch, Glück und Unglück Spiegel, figure 66 1652

This engraving, "Von allerhandt Freudenvöglen," was made by Balthasar Schwan, illustrating Petrarch's "Glück und Unglück Spiegel." It’s a print, so consider the labor involved: the skilled hand meticulously cutting into a metal plate, the press operator ensuring each impression is true. The stark lines create a scene of contained nature. Two figures stand on either side of elaborate bird cages. The heavy lines used to define the figures and cages suggest a weighty sense of confinement, reflecting the labor and control imposed on the natural world. The act of capturing and caging birds becomes a metaphor for human attempts to control fortune itself. The work invites reflection on the cost of such control, both in artistic labor and in the broader context of human ambition.