Pulpit, Prato Cathedral, after Donatello Possibly 1871

Curator: Here we have John Singer Sargent’s pencil drawing, "Pulpit, Prato Cathedral, after Donatello," currently housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s strikingly delicate; almost ethereal in its rendering. The way the pencil captures the light and shadow gives it a dreamlike quality, despite depicting a solid, architectural form. Curator: Sargent sketched this in 1871. It's a study of the open-air pulpit in Prato, Italy, which was originally commissioned from Donatello. Sargent was a young artist at the time, traveling and absorbing European artistic traditions. Editor: I’m thinking about public speech, especially sermons. This elevated space for a single voice to address the masses. Who had access? Who was silenced? How does architecture enforce power dynamics? Curator: The Catholic Church certainly wielded significant influence, and this pulpit embodies that power. But it also speaks to civic pride, as the pulpit was used for secular announcements as well. Editor: I appreciate your perspective, focusing on the intertwined relationship between the Church and secular society. Analyzing this drawing prompts necessary questions about representation and control. Curator: Indeed. And considering Sargent's later portraits of wealthy patrons, this early work reveals his lifelong engagement with the visual markers of power and status. Editor: Absolutely. This sketch becomes a site to consider how spaces for public communication have been historically fraught. Curator: Precisely, prompting us to consider how the built environment reinforces societal structures, even today.