Bas-reliëf op het altaar voor de heilige Jakobus de Meerdere in de Kathedraal van Pistoia, voorstellende de heilige Jacobus de Meerdere ontvangt zijn missie van Christus before 1864

Editor: This is a print of a bas-relief from before 1864, titled "Bas-relief on the altar for St. James the Greater in Pistoia Cathedral, depicting St. James the Greater receiving his mission from Christ," by Franz Kellerhoven. The print gives off a sense of antiquity, almost like looking at a weathered artifact. It depicts a gathering, a sharing of something important. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Oh, it’s so interesting! It reminds me of a half-remembered dream. Notice how the figures seem to float slightly, a touch ethereal even within that defined frame. The muted tones and the print’s texture enhance that feeling. Kellerhoven isn’t just reproducing the relief, he is re-imagining it, lending a dreamlike quality. Does the stylized composition evoke similar reflections for you? Editor: Absolutely. The setting itself feels ambiguous, less a specific location and more an idea of one. Curator: Exactly! And that, for me, speaks to the enduring power of myth. It's not about precise details, but the essence of a foundational narrative. How this story ripples through time and changes depending on who's telling it. A conversation with eternity. Or perhaps just a good story we keep telling ourselves, do you think? Editor: I think it is both. The enduring and reinterpreted narrative speaks volumes about the human desire to keep these ideas and stories alive. Curator: Indeed! The artistry breathes life into what would otherwise be just text. I realize again that the story is in the echo! What will we see in this image and remember of our lives a hundred years from now? Editor: That's an extraordinary thought.