Tyrolese Highway Cross c. 19th century

Curator: This is Samuel Amsler's "Tyrolese Highway Cross," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels intensely private, almost like interrupting a family's silent prayer on their journey. The cross feels like a sentinel. Curator: The composition is quite deliberate, isn't it? Amsler directs our gaze along the road, past the family, towards that distant, almost mythical-looking mountain range. Editor: Absolutely. It's a journey both physical and spiritual, marked by that roadside shrine. The bare feet suggest a kind of humble pilgrimage. Curator: And the child, so peacefully slung on the mother's back… there's a sense of continuity, of generations shaped by faith and the land. Editor: It's a tender, intimate moment carved out of the vastness. I find it profoundly moving. Curator: Yes, a quiet testament.