Romulus en Remus gevoed door de wolf 1770

Editor: So, this is "Romulus en Remus gevoed door de wolf," an engraving by Christian Bernhard Rode, from around 1770. It has a slightly haunting feeling for me; the wolf is quite imposing and the babies look so vulnerable. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: Vulnerable is a perfect word. I find myself drawn into the almost paradoxical tenderness in this violent landscape. Rode's choice to depict this specific moment – the nurturing by a wild animal – it tickles the imagination, doesn’t it? What kind of mother allows her children to be raised by wolves? What kind of wolf adopts human babies? Editor: Exactly! I mean, the myth is fascinating, but the *image* is really something. Is it common to depict this particular scene? Curator: Indeed. The story of Romulus and Remus is foundational, of course. Symbolizing Rome's origins, their strength coming from both nature and destiny. Here, Rode is playing with the dramatic contrast between the wild, untamed wolf and the innocent, pure babes. He seems fascinated by primal human desires and human fears of losing children in nature. Isn't it a wild dream? Editor: It really is! The more you talk about it, the more layers I see. At first, it was just an image of a wolf and two babies. Now it is like I can hear and smell it. The anxiety! Curator: Right?! Think about it; that wolf is also humanity, also Rome, a mixture of savagery and compassion. And that, my dear, is the enduring power of this old engraving. It makes you think and then it makes you feel.