The Virgin seated, resting her head on her right hand and holding the sleeping infant Christ on her lap 1625 - 1680

Curator: This engraving, housed here at the Met, is attributed to Lorenzo Loli, dating back to sometime between 1625 and 1680. The work is titled, "The Virgin seated, resting her head on her right hand and holding the sleeping infant Christ on her lap." Editor: It's incredibly moving, this piece. A tender moment, certainly, but something in the Virgin's heavy eyelids suggests a sorrow or weariness. There is a palpable connection to images of Pietà. Curator: Absolutely, that's a rich vein of historical context to mine. Consider the role of women during the Baroque era and the associated notions of feminine duty in relation to faith. This maternal scene can be understood within the larger societal structures. It is a representation of womanhood tethered to religious expectations. Editor: It speaks volumes, doesn't it? I am captivated by the use of line and shadow—there are layers of meaning within the shading. The way Loli renders fabric and skin. Her gaze is averted. It’s internal, alluding to an unspoken sorrow or a premonition. Curator: Note how this sorrow is constructed, both passively and actively. Is her somber pose representative of genuine sadness, or has she been shaped by external narratives? Does it invite empathy, or reinforce a limited view of her identity? These were narratives women of faith were pressured to fulfill in both domestic and religious life. Editor: I cannot help but find resonance between that sorrow, that pose, and countless depictions of motherhood throughout history. The universal, perhaps timeless experience, rendered with these specific and compelling artistic devices. Curator: By historicizing the Virgin as a mother bound by period ideology and social context, this allows us to investigate patriarchal dynamics and power balances across various artistic productions. It provides room to reimagine the female figure beyond those constraints. Editor: So well observed. To think of the Virgin as the intersection of artistic vision and the human condition...a constant across eras. Curator: A point well considered when we study identity, art, and lived experiences through history. Editor: Indeed. It’s a conversation that the language of images helps us continue.