The infant Christ asleep on a cross, his head resting on a skull, a crown of thorns and nails in the foreground 17th century

This small print, made by an anonymous artist, depicts the infant Christ asleep on a cross, rendered in delicate lines. The image offers a poignant reflection on mortality and sacrifice, ideas that are very familiar in Western Christianity. Made at a time when the church played a central role in everyday life, the image creates meaning through symbolic objects: the cross, the skull, the crown of thorns, the nails, and the hourglass. These are all cultural references that would have been instantly recognizable to viewers. These symbols were instrumental in shaping religious and social identities. The meaning of the image is less about the individual and more about communicating Christian values to a wider audience. As historians, our role is to uncover the layers of meaning embedded in artworks like this. Examining religious texts, social histories, and institutional records can give us a deeper understanding of the artwork and its place in society. Art is never created in a vacuum.