Livie en muse c. 19th century

Editor: Here we have Henri-Guillaume Chatillon's "Livie en muse" from the Harvard Art Museums. It feels very neoclassical, almost stoic. What strikes you about this print? Curator: Well, for me, it’s that tension between the ideal and the real. Chatillon, a contemporary of Ingres, captures that cool, perfect Neoclassical form, but there’s a certain… lack of passion, isn't there? What do you think she's holding? Editor: Is that a scroll? I hadn’t considered the lack of dynamism before, but now that you mention it, she seems rather... distant. Curator: Precisely! It is like a marble dream, an echo of antiquity, whispering secrets we can almost grasp. I wonder what story she would tell if she could step off that pedestal? Editor: Now I’m wondering too. Thanks for sharing your perspective. Curator: My pleasure! It's always good to look closer and reimagine a familiar tale.