Drie klassieke bustes in profiel 1622

Curator: Up next we have "Three Classical Busts in Profile," an engraving crafted in 1622 by Lucas Vorsterman I. It's rendered in a classical style, typical of academic art from the Baroque period. First impressions? Editor: Stark! There's something coolly formal, almost detached about them, don't you think? These profiles feel like frozen moments, carefully arranged, like actors captured between scenes, revealing, perhaps inadvertently, an emptiness... Curator: Well, the image presents us with three distinct busts, each encapsulated within its own circular frame. The top two feature male figures, while the lower bust showcases a female figure, flanked by what appear to be smaller figures or sculptures incorporated into the design. Editor: Absolutely. Note how Vorsterman uses the engraving medium – primarily stark lines – to delineate the figures. I'm intrigued by the profiles themselves, as if presenting ideals, archetypes that these humanlike renderings hint at, not capture. This is where its strength and ultimate tension lies! Curator: Indeed. There’s a powerful sense of symmetry and balance. It is the very soul of classicism, echoing the aesthetics of Roman portraiture which favors an idealized profile view. It could almost serve as templates for coins, medals...visual emblems of status. Editor: Funny you mention coins! This almost demands to be read like heraldry! I am drawn to the female figure in the bottom. Her bust is adorned by a sculptural figure emerging from a cornucopia—abundance in hand. Yet it seems as if the engraver is asking a question about idealized images that we haven’t come to answer quite yet… Curator: These busts represent a certain aspiration – to capture a sense of timelessness and authority. A record that’s made to endure centuries—and, indeed, it still invites questions even today. Thank you. Editor: Quite a question! Now I’m eager to see who we come across next…