Madonna Staffa c. 19th century

Editor: This is Samuel Amsler's "Madonna Staffa", a print housed at the Harvard Art Museums. The gaze between mother and child feels so intense. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I notice the complex relationship between motherhood, power, and representation. The Madonna, often depicted as a symbol of purity and subservience, is here holding a child who is actively engaged with a book, signaling knowledge and future power. Editor: So, it's less about gentle motherhood, and more about the Madonna raising Christ to challenge existing power structures? Curator: Precisely. Look at the landscape—it's not merely decorative, it's a world ripe for transformation. How do you think Amsler uses this print to engage with societal norms? Editor: It seems less about devotion, and more about envisioning a world transformed through knowledge and perhaps, resistance. Curator: Exactly! Art can hold a mirror to society, and prints like these offer a critical lens through which we can examine historical power dynamics.