Engel legt zijn hand op hoofd van slapende man 1509 - 1515

This engraving by Jacopo de' Barbari depicts an angel laying a hand on the head of a sleeping man. Above, we see the caduceus, a symbol often associated with medicine and commerce. Consider the angel’s gentle touch, a motif that resonates with images of divine intervention throughout history. The laying on of hands appears in ancient rituals and Christian art as a gesture of healing and blessing. We see echoes of this in depictions of Christ healing the sick, or even in earlier pagan traditions where touch was believed to transmit power. This gesture is not merely physical; it carries the weight of cultural memory, hinting at the subconscious human desire for comfort and guidance from a higher power. The caduceus itself, with its entwined snakes, has slithered through the ages, its meaning evolving from a symbol of commerce to one of medicine, sometimes confused with the Rod of Asclepius. This transmutation speaks to the fluid nature of symbols, their capacity to adapt and reflect the changing concerns of humanity.