The Column of Duillius 1641

Editor: Here we have Giacomo Lauro's "The Column of Duillius" at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a fascinating print with all these ships surrounding a central column. What's your interpretation of this image? Curator: It's a powerful piece, isn't it? The column, adorned with ships' prows, commemorates a naval victory. Consider how it uses triumphal imagery to reinforce a specific historical narrative, one that privileges military dominance. Whose stories are left out of this celebration of power? Editor: So it's not just about remembering a battle, but also about who gets to tell that story? Curator: Precisely. It asks us to consider how monuments function as tools of ideological control, shaping collective memory to serve particular agendas.