Frieze with an Infant Riding a Goat 1532

Curator: Here we have an intriguing anonymous piece from the Harvard Art Museums collection titled "Frieze with an Infant Riding a Goat." Editor: My first thought? Organized chaos! It's like a toddler's birthday party gone wonderfully wild and mythic. Curator: Precisely! The frieze depicts a procession, a symbolic parade of sorts, densely populated with infants and animals, alluding to classical bacchanals and themes of abundance. We can see references to power dynamics and idealized celebrations. Editor: Absolutely. But isn't there something about the uninhibitedness of it all? That pure glee in the moment? It tickles me, it's a bit cheeky, a reminder to embrace the delightful madness in life. Curator: Indeed. The artist uses this imagery to connect with broader socio-political and historical narratives of the time, but at the same time, this creates a space for dialogue surrounding childhood and freedom. Editor: A dialogue I happily join! This frieze, with its little rebels, manages to be both grand and intimate, and in the end, it feels like a beautifully chaotic invitation to revel in life's absurdities.