Landscape containing four silhouettes 1793 - 1800

This unmarked engraving on laid paper features four concealed silhouettes. The artist, whose name is now lost to us, created this small image, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The composition is immediately striking: two meticulously designed, complex arrangements face each other. Each silhouette, constructed from objects of state and aristocracy, requires deciphering. One side features a crown, a scepter, and foliage; the other, what seems to be a sculptural bust mounted on a table draped with flags. The artist employs a high level of detail, packing each element with textures that create a sense of depth despite the monochromatic palette. The formal arrangement is visually pleasing but also functions as a riddle, a semiotic puzzle. Each object is a signifier, alluding to power, status, and perhaps hidden identities. The work challenges us to look beyond the surface, to decode the visual language, and to consider how images of power are constructed.