Der Johannesknabe aus Raffaels „Madonna della Sedia“ c. 1844 - 1847

Editor: This drawing, "Der Johannesknabe aus Raffaels \u201eMadonna della Sedia\u201c" by Eugen Eduard Sch\u00e4ffer, done in pencil on paper sometime between 1844 and 1847, strikes me as both delicate and unfinished. What details stand out to you in this image? Curator: What grabs me immediately is the act of *copying* itself. This isn't simply a portrait of a boy, but a portrait *of* a portrait, isn't it? It's Sch\u00e4ffer engaging with Raphael, reaching back to an iconic image, and almost reverently, redrawing it. It becomes about lineage, artistic tradition, and the ongoing dialogue artists have with one another across centuries. What symbols or visual cues feel potent to you? Editor: I notice the cross is only barely suggested, very faint. I initially missed it. Does that lessening of the symbol’s visual weight change how it operates? Curator: Exactly. It’s not presented as a bold proclamation, but rather a subtle presence, almost a birthmark of identity. This hints at a cultural memory deeply embedded within the child, less about overt religious display and more about inherent belonging. Perhaps it speaks to a shifting relationship between the individual and religious symbols during Sch\u00e4ffer's time? Does the incomplete nature change its meaning, do you think? Editor: Possibly. It feels more like an exploration of an idea, rather than a definitive statement. As if the artist is searching for something within the original. Curator: Precisely. This "unfinishedness" allows *us* to participate in that search, filling in the gaps with our own understanding and experiences. A constant re-interpretation over time is one of the most exciting aspects of the symbol in art. Editor: That's fascinating. I never considered how much the act of copying itself adds to the artwork’s meaning. It gives so much additional cultural context to what seems at first to be a simple sketch. Curator: Indeed, and hopefully you will agree it is fascinating how an incomplete copy might prompt more questions than an exact likeness.