Adoration of the Magi c. 1718

Curator: Giovanni Paolo Panini, a Roman painter and architect who lived from 1691 to 1765, created this oil on canvas, "Adoration of the Magi." The painting, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection, presents a grand scene set among classical ruins. Editor: It feels dreamlike. The soft light, the crumbling architecture, the cherubic figures in the sky... it's a theatrical blend of grandeur and fragility. Curator: Panini often depicted ruins, reflecting the 18th-century fascination with antiquity and its impact on the present. But what about the biblical narrative, the Adoration itself? Editor: The Magi, rendered with such delicate features, present gifts before the Holy Family amidst these ruins, a stark juxtaposition. The ruins themselves symbolize the fall of pagan empires before the rise of Christianity, while the cherubs serve as visual symbols of divine approval. Curator: Indeed. Panini is making a statement about the Catholic church's place as an institution in the modern world, building on the foundations of antiquity, but also moving beyond. Editor: I see now – it’s more than just a pretty picture. The symbols and the setting work together to portray a powerful message about transformation and faith. Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to reflect on how institutions use visual language to reinforce their own legitimacy.