Saint Jerome c. 19th century

Editor: This is Francesco Bartolozzi's "Saint Jerome," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. The figures seem to cluster together, almost protectively. What draws your eye in this piece? Curator: The lion at Jerome's feet immediately seizes my attention. The lion is a symbol of strength, of course, but also of royalty and divine power. Its presence alongside Jerome, who translated the Bible, suggests a continuity of sacred authority, doesn’t it? Editor: That’s a fascinating connection. I hadn't considered the lion in that context before. Curator: Visual symbols like that are cultural memory, linking past and present. Do you see other symbols that resonate with shared cultural meanings? Editor: The child, being held by the woman. Curator: Exactly! It seems symbols, like this, speak across time. Editor: I see so much more in this piece now.