Saint Simeon with the Christ child 1647

Curator: Here we have "Saint Simeon with the Christ Child" completed around 1647, rendered in oil on canvas by Jusepe de Ribera. Editor: It has this quiet gravity. A certain… stillness in the figures really captures you. Curator: Yes, Ribera masterfully portrays the encounter described in the Gospel of Luke. Saint Simeon, a devout man promised he wouldn’t die until he saw the Messiah, meeting the infant Jesus. Editor: That peaked hat… I am instantly drawn to it. The lettering, surely Hebrew? Is it a signifier of Simeon’s status, of religious knowledge, and perhaps a symbol of tradition. Curator: Precisely! Ribera’s Saint Simeon can be read as a scholar of religious law, awaiting fulfillment of prophesies. You know, this also offers an interesting perspective on aging masculinity, given that in theological history, we read a great deal about Simeon's anticipation to meet the Messiah before passing. Editor: Ah, but beyond the history, the softness in the baby's gaze seems to suggest divinity… yet it is equally human and tender. Ribera captures the sacred but presents it through the familiar lens of parent-child devotion. Note the colors—browns and ochres dominate. Simeon's face is lined. It lends itself toward a certain empathy, that's for sure. Curator: Consider this was created amidst the backdrop of seventeenth century Neapolitan society, it asks viewers to consider how authority is expressed through faith. Moreover, given the context of social reformations during that period, you get to think a lot about the expression of the individual in a quickly modernizing world. Editor: Fascinating to see that blend— the old and new—within one frame. It pushes past just historical representation to engage ideas that, in truth, affect us still today. It makes the symbol personal again. Curator: Exactly! There's so much intersectionality embedded here regarding gender, the status of age, religious authority... It continues to open up productive discussions. Editor: Absolutely! By attending to those visual threads, you come away with something profound. Thanks. Curator: My pleasure!