The Triumphal Arch of Constantine c. 17th century

Curator: Jan Gerritsz van Bronchorst, active in the Dutch Golden Age, created this etching, "The Triumphal Arch of Constantine." It is currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. My first reaction is a sense of decay and resilience. Editor: Indeed. Bronchorst's etching captures the Arch not as a monument of power, but as a weathered object integrated into the landscape. The presence of livestock foregrounds a pastoral view, where the remnants of Roman imperial ambition are reduced to mere building materials. Curator: Precisely. He’s interested in the here and now, the labor of existence, not the triumph. How the arch exists now, as a resource, speaks volumes about value. Editor: It makes you consider how the arch itself has been used and reused through various social, political and cultural shifts in Rome. Who controls the narrative of the image and how does that change over time? Curator: Right, we often forget how the materials are not just stone and metal, but also human touch and effort in every stage of its existence. Editor: It's fascinating to see this intersection of social history and materiality. Curator: A powerful reminder that art's meaning is ever-shifting.