Illustration XVI c. 16th century

Curator: This is Illustration XVI, an anonymous work held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like a nightmare, sharply rendered, chaotic and unsettling. Curator: Indeed. This image appears to depict a scene from Virgil’s Aeneid, specifically the murder of Polydorus and Aeneas’s subsequent journey to Thrace. This was a key founding myth. Editor: The stark contrast between the white space and the dense black lines creates this sense of tension and urgency. The composition is cleverly arranged to guide the eye. Curator: Absolutely, and that imagery speaks to the violence inflicted upon marginalized bodies and the cyclical nature of historical trauma. It asks us to consider who benefits from the retelling of these violent foundational stories. Editor: Perhaps, but I find the formal qualities alone, the stark lines and deliberate composition, speak volumes about the artist's control over a chaotic subject. Curator: A control, though, that cannot erase the echoes of power and injustice that resonate even now. Editor: A compelling image, approached through different lenses.