Architectural Study at Sens: Sketch of Foolish Virgin Relief 1849

Curator: This drawing by John Ruskin, titled "Architectural Study at Sens: Sketch of Foolish Virgin Relief," captures a figure from 13th-century French sculpture. There is a beautiful economy of line and material. Editor: It feels haunting, doesn't it? That vacant face and the way she’s draped—it speaks to the historical position of women, their bodies often present, their voices not. Curator: Indeed. Ruskin's sketch demonstrates his engagement with Gothic architecture as a structure and as a source of inspiration, but the means of its production—pencil on paper—offer insight into his processes. Editor: And given Ruskin's social activism, we can view his meticulous study as a form of bearing witness. These "foolish virgins" raise questions about agency, expectation, and societal judgement across time. Curator: A fruitful exchange between hand and stone, paper and ideology. Editor: It gives us so much to think about.