Saint Ignace c. 17th century

Curator: This is Jacques Callot’s “Saint Ignace,” currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Look closely—it’s quite small, just 7.6 by 4.9 centimeters. Editor: Wow, so detailed for such a tiny thing! It feels like a fever dream, a saint wrestling with...are those a lion and a dog? In a packed arena? Curator: Callot was known for his etchings, and this piece likely relates to the Jesuit saint Ignatius of Loyola and the spectacle of martyrdom. Note the symbolic use of animals. Editor: That crowd up top seems oddly detached, like they're watching a play. And the saint's face... is that serenity or just resignation? Gives me the shivers. Curator: Perhaps Callot is reflecting on the nature of faith and public spectacle, the role of the martyr, and the institutions that support them. Editor: Or maybe he just had a really weird dream, and this is what spilled out. Either way, it's stuck with me. I keep seeing those eyes of the saint.