Saint Anne raptures 

Giulia Lama, around the 18th century, captured Saint Anne's rapture on canvas, a moment thick with divine and human connection. Anne, the mother of Mary, lies in repose, surrounded by kin and cherubic figures, caught between earthly presence and celestial vision. The motif of the reclining figure is ancient, echoing in classical depictions of sleeping gods, or the dying hero. Observe how Anne's upward gaze and the presence of angels intertwine the earthly and the divine. Her pose mirrors figures in earlier works depicting ecstatic visions, yet the presence of earthly family members introduces a distinctly human element. This blend speaks to our collective memory, a visual echo chamber where religious ecstasy meets the intimate, familial sphere, creating a powerful tension. It calls to mind the human quest to reconcile spiritual transcendence with the inescapable bonds of human relationships, a cycle as old as time itself.