Illustration XXIV c. 16th century

Editor: This is Illustration XXIV, by an anonymous artist, and it's held at the Harvard Art Museums. The figures are striking, and the linework is so bold. What symbols stand out to you in this piece? Curator: Notice the tents: symbols of impermanence, transition. The sword suggests justice, power, but also potential violence. Is it an act of mercy, of retribution, of ambition? How does the artist invite us to contemplate these loaded symbols? Editor: That's interesting. I was focusing on the action, but now I see how the setting and objects shape the story. Curator: Exactly. And it's through these symbols that narratives are constructed and culturally transmitted, generation after generation. Editor: I'll definitely be looking closer at the symbolic language in art from now on.