Rosary Beads c. 1940

Curator: Well, let’s turn our attention now to Josephine C. Romano’s “Rosary Beads,” likely created around 1940. It's rendered in drawing and watercolor. Editor: At first glance, there is such quietness in the piece; I feel like my attention is being pulled slowly. Such spareness also focuses us, very directly. The materials appear so simple, yet the way the beads and watercolor create subtle shifts of tone and light is intriguing. Curator: Yes, it’s remarkably still, isn’t it? This simple representation of the Rosary opens a door into centuries of devotional practice. Each bead represents a prayer, a moment of contemplation—they're symbols of hope, penance, and faith carried through generations. We’re immediately connected to that deep history. Editor: Absolutely. I'm wondering, too, about the artist’s hands—their labor shaping these beads. Were they carved from wood? Bone? The texture the watercolor evokes seems tactile. I think about where these beads came from, the raw materials, the processes of creation, and their subsequent commodification for use in the religious economy of the time. Curator: That’s an excellent point, focusing on the physicality, the material journey. And beyond a simple religious object, the rosary also signifies a sense of protection, maybe even identity, for the owner. Editor: I’d venture further and add that its visual simplicity also belies layers of complex production systems and trading that are linked with devotional practice, which are often overlooked. I find myself contemplating these beads—not as holy, but as made. Curator: That makes me consider the implications of depicting them so sparely in the piece. What could the choice of medium mean for an artwork with these themes, as well? Editor: I agree with you: rendering these beads through humble and seemingly available materials adds something about this object, as well as adding to a powerful expression that invites, through the simplest of techniques, deep reflection on history, materials and use.