Ricordi van drie deurstukken met landschappen en een zee Possibly 1693 - 1708

Curator: Allow me to introduce you to "Ricordi van drie deurstukken met landschappen en een zee," or "Memories of three overdoor pieces with landscapes and a sea." This ink drawing on paper, possibly from 1693-1708, is attributed to Carlo Antonio Tavella. Editor: Right away, I get this sensation of distance… They’re like miniature worlds seen through a hazy lens, almost dreamlike. It's sketched so delicately it's barely there. Curator: Indeed, Tavella uses the landscapes and the sea not merely as representations, but as vehicles to convey emotion, tapping into a tradition of the "pathetic landscape" that found favour during the Baroque era. The top panel, for instance, has a hunter and his dog with a distant almost mountainous city implying space, exploration, and maybe even adventure. Editor: Mmhmm, I see what you mean. In the center, the figure is lounging—evoking an Arcadian sensibility, a pastoral retreat. Perhaps Tavella felt confined, like these images, by convention and was eager to go beyond. It seems to ask “How many worlds can a line create?” Curator: That's perceptive. The landscapes depicted in the ricordi—Italian for "memories"—were often designed as "overdoor pieces," intended to create a visual transition between interior spaces and the larger world outside. Tavella’s seas are rarely calm, mirroring the tempestuous mood often associated with human experiences. Look at that dramatic shipwreck! Editor: Exactly! That lower panel pulls no punches. One tiny little ship fighting for dear life against an enormous sea – what could be more dramatic, more quintessentially Baroque? There’s something almost theatrical about it. Each scene feels like a carefully constructed stage set. Curator: By embracing classical themes through a landscape-centered vision, Tavella presents the landscapes and seascapes as repositories of classical wisdom and symbols of historical reflection, thus mirroring humanity's quest for reason and virtue. Editor: You know, looking at it again, despite its delicacy, there's this incredible energy contained within that brown ink. It makes you wonder about the speed, the surety of Tavella's hand as he worked. Almost as if, even from such a tiny piece, a tempest has found safe harbour. Curator: A wonderful thought. Thank you for helping us delve deeper into this intriguing composition of land and sea. Editor: My pleasure entirely. May this voyage into visual memory enrich your day!