Standard Bearers Carrying the Shield with the Imperial Eagle 1675

Editor: This is Antoinette Bouzonnet-Stella's "Standard Bearers Carrying the Shield with the Imperial Eagle," currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a detailed print, and the procession seems to carry a somber, almost burdened air. What historical narrative do you see unfolding here? Curator: Considering Bouzonnet-Stella's time, we need to ask whose stories are being centered, and whose are being erased or marginalized in this depiction of power. The Roman Empire was built on conquest and enslavement. Editor: So, you're suggesting we look beyond the surface of Roman glory? Curator: Precisely. It’s vital to interrogate how the artist's choices—the rendering of figures, the composition itself—reflect the social and political hierarchies of that era and potentially of her own. Editor: That really makes you think about the darker side of these celebrated historical moments. Curator: Exactly. Art is never neutral, it either challenges or reinforces existing power structures.