Grotto and Fountains in the Garden of the Duke of Altems 1681

Editor: Here we have "Grotto and Fountains in the Garden of the Duke of Altems" by Melchior Küsel. It's an intricately detailed little print. The figures almost seem to dance in the garden’s structured chaos. What kind of story do you think Küsel is trying to tell here? Curator: Ah, a garden as theatre! Look at the formality of the architecture versus the apparent playfulness of the figures. Don’t you think it's about power, Editor? The Duke showcasing his dominion over nature, inviting others to witness it. Editor: That's interesting! So, it's less about the beauty and more about… the brag? Curator: Precisely! Though, perhaps the beauty *is* the brag. It’s all intertwined, isn’t it? Made me think how we perform our own little dramas of status every day. Editor: Wow, I never thought of a garden as a status symbol before, it's all about perspective!