Gen. XLI c. 16th century

Editor: This is "Gen. XLI" by Hans Holbein the Younger. It’s a black and white print showing a man asleep in bed, with a field of cattle outside. The stark contrast creates a dreamlike, unsettling quality. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The scene evokes the story of Jacob's dream, where he sees a ladder to heaven. Here, the cattle may symbolize earthly blessings or future prosperity. Holbein uses imagery to suggest not just sleep, but divine communication or a vision. How might the cultural memory of such dream narratives influence our reading of this image? Editor: That's fascinating! So, the seemingly simple image of sleep carries layers of symbolic meaning. I will definitely look at Holbein's work in a different light now. Curator: Precisely. Holbein uses symbols to embed narratives within images. Hopefully, this will inspire further exploration of the cultural memory embedded in visual forms.