A standing man in a niche holding an open book 1756

This engraving by Bartolomeo Crivellari, dating from the 1700s, depicts a standing man in a niche, holding an open book. The book, a potent symbol of knowledge, learning, and divine wisdom, dominates the composition. We see this motif echo through time, from ancient Greek philosophers to medieval saints. The act of holding or reading a book signifies enlightenment, a conduit between the earthly and the divine. The image stirs deep within our collective memory, touching upon our primal quest for understanding. We see it in the prophets of the Old Testament and the evangelists of the New. This symbol, embedded in our subconscious, evolves and resurfaces, taking on new meanings. Like the ouroboros, it consumes its own tail in a cyclical, non-linear progression through history. The figure of the man holding a book has a powerful and profound effect on viewers, triggering thoughts of knowledge, authority and intellectual discovery.