Temperance c. 1540s

Editor: Here we have Giuseppe Niccolò Vicentino's "Temperance" from the Harvard Art Museums. It looks like an ink drawing. The figure is so graceful. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Note the materiality of ink and paper. This wasn't simply about depicting an idea of "Temperance," but about a physical process. How does the labor of drawing, the repetitive act of line-making, contribute to the concept? It's about the considered consumption of materials, a balance in the very making itself. Editor: So it's not just about the figure pouring water? Curator: Precisely! It is about the material choices, the means of production, and how they shape our understanding. What does the drawing medium itself communicate to you about Temperance? Editor: I hadn't considered the ink and paper as part of the message, rather than just the medium. It makes you wonder about the availability and value of these materials at the time, and what that says about the artwork itself. Curator: Exactly! Considering these things adds layers to our understanding.