Miraculous Draught of Fishes c. 18th century

Curator: This is Thomas Holloway's "Miraculous Draught of Fishes," housed right here at the Harvard Art Museums. What catches your eye first? Editor: It's the birds for me. The ones in the air, of course, but also the gawky cranes wading near the shore. They lend a strange, almost dreamlike quality to the scene. Curator: Absolutely. Holloway, who lived from 1748 to 1827, was known for his detailed engravings. This piece, for instance, presents a well-known religious story, yet it includes those unexpected, slightly off-kilter details. Editor: Right. Like, is that supposed to be the Sea of Galilee? It looks almost Nordic with those grey skies. The artist is going for a grand miracle but lands on something oddly intimate. Curator: Well, art always reflects the artist's context and society, it is filtered through their own lens. Editor: Maybe that's the true miracle, then - how a familiar tale can be endlessly re-imagined. Curator: Precisely. It's the unexpected juxtapositions that breathe new life into old stories.