Christ in Glory with the Angels 

Giovanni Battista Gaulli rendered this drawing of Christ in Glory with the Angels with chalk or charcoal. Here we observe Christ in his ascendant glory, surrounded by angels, a motif deeply rooted in Christian iconography. The gesture of his raised hand is reminiscent of the classical depiction of Jupiter, king of the gods, holding a thunderbolt. The clouds, in the classical period, symbolized divine presence, with angels—messengers between heaven and earth—accompanying him. The upward gaze and outstretched arms are also reminiscent of ancient Roman depictions of emperors ascending to the heavens to join the divine. This borrowing and adaptation of pagan symbols reveals the fascinating ways in which cultural memories are reconfigured across time. The symbol, rather than progressing linearly, ebbs and flows through history, resurfacing in unexpected forms, bearing testament to our shared, deeply rooted, cultural psyche.