De dood van de heilige Scholastica 1739 - 1780

Francesco Bartolozzi's engraving captures the death of Saint Scholastica, depicting her surrounded by mourning nuns as angels ascend to the heavens. Note the cherubs above, a motif deeply rooted in religious art, symbolizing divine presence and intervention. These angelic figures are not unique to Christian iconography; winged deities appear in various ancient cultures, from Mesopotamian art to Greek mythology. The transition from pagan to Christian symbolism illustrates the human tendency to reinterpret and adapt existing cultural forms to new belief systems. Here, the angels serve as a powerful emotional conduit, engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. Such cyclical progressions reveal how symbols evolve, resurface, and acquire new meanings across different historical contexts, reflecting our collective memory and shared human experience.