Joseph's Blossoming Rod, from a Fresco by Taddeo Gaddi in the Church of Santa Croce at Florence c. 1877 - 1878

Editor: This is Charles Herbert's "Joseph's Blossoming Rod," based on a fresco in Santa Croce. It looks like a botanical illustration. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, let's consider the social context. Herbert, an English artist, reproduces a fragment of Taddeo Gaddi's fresco. What does it mean to reproduce sacred art as a discrete object, divorced from its original architectural context? How does that alter its consumption? Editor: So, it becomes a commodity, a souvenir almost? Curator: Precisely. And consider the labor involved in both the original fresco and this later reproduction. What kind of social dynamics are present in each case? Editor: I see. It's not just about the image itself, but the systems of production that created it. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, art is deeply embedded in its modes of creation and consumption.