The torch of Polia extinguished in the altar, which resembles a fountain with its cover kept open (fol. o i recto) 1499

Curator: Here we have "The torch of Polia extinguished in the altar, which resembles a fountain with its cover kept open," an intriguing work of an unknown hand, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There’s a strange stillness. It looks like a woodcut, and the stark lines and blank space give it an almost dreamlike quality, despite the ceremony depicted. Curator: The piece offers an interesting look into social ritual. The women gathered around the altar, the extinguished torch... it all points to specific social practices of the time. The production of meaning through constructed social practice, if you like. Editor: I'm drawn to the altar itself. Those tiny figures holding hands around its base, the craftsmanship...it suggests the value placed on communal ritual, and the labor invested in creating these objects of ceremony. Curator: Perhaps it speaks to the power structures reinforced by these rituals. Who is included, who is excluded, and who benefits. Editor: And how these beliefs were materially manifested. It is a thought-provoking glimpse into a historical context where objects and actions were deeply interwoven.