Saturn c. 1600

Curator: Crispijn de Passe's engraving, simply titled "Saturn," is a masterclass in miniature storytelling. Look at the detail! Editor: Woah, it's intense. That top section is something else. I'm getting a very strong feeling of foreboding, but with a dash of the fantastical. Curator: De Passe, working in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, packs so much into a small space here, doesn't he? Saturn, the melancholic god of time, looms over a landscape of human toil and suffering. Editor: Absolutely! You've got that dragon-pulled chariot, the little dude clinging on, and then a whole scene of what looks like mining and general hardship below. Exploitation is right there in the details. Are those people enslaved? Curator: It's a layered piece, right? Saturn was associated with lead, mining, and the darker aspects of human existence. This print reflects a worldview where human life is governed by astrological forces—bleak! But, wow, what a composition! Editor: It’s a testament to the power dynamics at play, then and maybe even now. I wonder, what does he want us to take away? Curator: Maybe a reflection on our own mortality, or the cyclical nature of time. Either way it stays with you, doesn't it? Editor: Yeah, definitely makes you think about what we leave behind.