Offering Oblations c. 19th century

Curator: This drawing, titled "Offering Oblations," is attributed to Gaetano Bonatti and is held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like a memory, or a faint echo of something grand, perhaps a ritual. The composition with the draped women is striking. Curator: Indeed. Bonatti likely referenced classical friezes, which often depicted religious ceremonies or processions. The linear style reinforces that connection. Editor: I wonder about the act of offering itself. What are these women sacrificing? Flowers? And how does this offering uphold or challenge existing power dynamics of the time? Curator: That's a crucial question. By revisiting classical imagery, Bonatti and his contemporaries were, in a sense, attempting to legitimize certain social and political ideals. Editor: And in doing so, perhaps also defining the roles and expectations placed upon women in those societies, both past and present. Curator: Absolutely. It's a visually compelling, though perhaps idealized, snapshot of a cultural moment. Editor: Food for thought, how historical depictions of ritual and sacrifice still reverberate today.