Holy Family c. 17th century

Editor: This is Guido Reni's "Holy Family," at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a rather tender scene, but the etching feels unfinished. What do you see in this piece that I might be missing? Curator: It's the interplay of the earthly and divine, isn't it? The etching’s line work makes me think of whispered secrets. Notice how the angels hover, almost a dream above the family, their wreath promising… what? Editor: Hope, maybe? Or impending holiness? Curator: Exactly! It’s in the details, like the way Joseph’s staff mirrors the angels' flight. Reni uses suggestion, not declaration. I wonder, what does that suggest to you? Editor: That the sacred is found in the everyday? Thanks, I see it so differently now. Curator: Me too, every time!