Verkoper van ciambelles 1660

Editor: This is "Verkoper van ciambelle," or "Vendor of Ciambelles," a 1660 engraving by Giuseppe Maria Mitelli at the Rijksmuseum. I’m really struck by the starkness of it; just a lone figure on a blank background. It feels both simple and kind of haunting. What do you see in it? Curator: Haunting, yes, perhaps because we're glimpsing a world utterly vanished. Mitelli captures not just a portrait, but a fragment of 17th-century Italian street life, the baroque era caught selling edible delights, a ‘ciambelle’. Note how the figure fills the frame. What’s drawn more expressively, would you say, his face or his basket? Editor: Definitely the basket, it looks heavy. The way the ciambelles are stacked creates a cool textural pattern. His face is much less detailed. Curator: Exactly! Mitelli directs our attention—this isn't just about *him,* but what he *offers*. These prints were often sold as novelties themselves! Now, looking at the inscription – it seems to suggest wisdom about spending and savings! Are you getting hungry for something delicious yet? Editor: I hadn’t noticed that. So the drawing promotes more than just pastry sales; that is such clever art, to capture street life like this with social commentary. This has me seeing it in a new light! Curator: Art often works this way – it starts with the image, but unfolds into layers of story! Editor: I'll certainly be looking at street scenes with a keener eye now.