Large Rocky Landscape (with Two Figures by Tablet) c. 17th century

Curator: This is Jacques Prou's "Large Rocky Landscape (with Two Figures by Tablet)." Prou, who lived from 1640 to 1686, captured this scene, which now resides at the Harvard Art Museums, in an engraving measuring about 37 by 47 centimeters. Editor: My first impression is of something almost theatrical, a stage set. The figures seem very small against the looming landscape. It’s as if nature itself is the main actor. Curator: Indeed, the landscape, with its imposing rocks and cascading water, evokes a sense of the sublime. The tiny figures holding a tablet are a conventional symbol of human contemplation against the grand scale of nature. Editor: I wonder about the meaning of that tablet. It reminds me of similar engravings popular at the time, where classical ideals were used to frame or justify contemporary social structures. Was it an attempt to portray the French aristocracy as inheritors of a noble, 'natural' order? Curator: Precisely! The landscape, in this sense, functions as a kind of historical allegory. The tablet could be seen as an emblem of law or divine right, anchoring the figures within a broader historical narrative. Editor: It's fascinating how such a small image can reveal so much about the power dynamics and cultural aspirations of its time. Curator: It certainly gives us much to consider about the intersection of art, power, and the portrayal of nature.