St Ambrose 

Titian painted this image of St. Ambrose for the church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. The somber figure of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, is rendered with his eyes cast down, holding a crozier—a symbolic staff representing his pastoral role. This motif of a religious figure holding a staff stretches back to antiquity. Consider the scepter of ancient rulers, a symbol of authority and divine right. We see a continuity here, yet also a shift. The scepter, once a symbol of earthly power, is now a spiritual emblem, the crozier, carried by bishops to signify their role as shepherds of their flock. The downward gaze is equally evocative, appearing in countless images of saints and wise men, embodying humility and introspection. It speaks to a universal desire for inner reflection. It is through such symbols that we tap into a deep well of collective memory, experiencing echoes of shared human experiences across time. They possess a life of their own, a persistence that transcends individual experience.