Personificatie van Kalmte (Tranquillità) 1645 - 1709

Curator: This print, likely made between 1645 and 1709 by an anonymous artist, is currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s titled “Personificatie van Kalmte”, or "Personification of Calmness". What feelings does it evoke for you? Editor: An almost unsettling stillness, really. She looms, but there’s also a strange flatness, like a paper doll about to be tucked into a book. It’s more somber than soothing, which feels a bit contradictory, doesn't it? Curator: Interesting! Baroque allegories, like this one, often used figures and objects to represent abstract ideas, in this case, tranquility. Editor: Visually, there is that cello looming over her; the way the artist plays with scale—that is, in relationship to the body, there is some kind of power at work here. It's definitely commanding, almost more "commanding" than calm. Curator: Right, the engraving highlights form and texture. The fine lines create soft gradations of tone, giving depth to her draped robes and the curves of the cello, but I agree. Calmness maybe needs to embrace strength. Editor: Precisely. It reminds me that inner peace isn't passive. Holding a cello isn't like holding a fluffy kitten; it's big and heavy, you can use it as an instrument and hit back to feel some kind of power or get even some sound going. Perhaps there’s an unspoken fortitude beneath the surface calm—the will to maintain tranquility amidst chaos. That makes it far more interesting! Curator: I completely agree! Seeing how tranquility can embrace inner strength adds another interesting element to the reading of this beautiful, if perplexing, piece of work. It makes you appreciate that tension between composure and inner strength all the more.