Little shepherd girl 

Pericles Pantazis captured this little shepherd girl with oil on canvas, and she stands before us as a figure of pastoral simplicity. The staff, an ancient symbol of guidance and protection, is held firmly in her hand. This motif echoes through art history, from the scepters of rulers to the crooks of biblical shepherds, each carrying its own weight of authority or care. Consider the shepherd as a symbol: Christ as the Good Shepherd, guiding his flock. This shepherdess, though humble, evokes a similar sense of watchfulness and care. The act of shepherding is full of such symbolism. We see echoes of this in countless works, each age reinterpreting this iconography through its own lens. It's a testament to our shared, subconscious memory, how certain symbols resurface, each time colored by new experiences.