Holy Family with S. John on a Lamb 17th-18th century

Editor: Here we have Bernard Picart's "Holy Family with S. John on a Lamb," an engraving. It's interesting how everyone is focused on each other, except John, who's oddly perched on a lamb. How do you interpret this work? Curator: This piece, seen through a contemporary lens, really highlights the power dynamics inherent in religious narratives. Consider the figures' placement; who is centered, who is peripheral? And the lamb itself—a symbol laden with sacrifice and innocence—how does its presence implicate ideas of childhood vulnerability within the Holy Family? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Thank you. Curator: These layers of meaning invite us to question traditional interpretations and consider broader social implications. It's in this questioning that art truly becomes revolutionary.