Study of Draped Knee for the Law, "Israel and the Law," Boston Public Library 1895 - 1916

Curator: Here, we have John Singer Sargent's "Study of Draped Knee for the Law, 'Israel and the Law,'" a preparatory sketch relating to his murals in the Boston Public Library. Editor: It’s incredible how much weight and presence Sargent captures with just a few charcoal lines. It's draped, yes, but feels monumental. Curator: The drape, of course, obscures the figure beneath, but drapery is a consistent motif in legal and judicial symbology, isn’t it? It suggests concealment, the veiled nature of justice. Editor: Exactly! Think of the blindfold on Lady Justice. It speaks to the need for impartiality, but also perhaps the mysteries inherent in any system of law. I wonder what fabric Sargent imagined. Curator: Knowing Sargent, probably something luxurious! But in all seriousness, the sketch feels like a powerful meditation on the very idea of law, rendered with such simple means. Editor: Yes, a powerful fragment. I almost feel like I could reach out and touch the fabric. It invites us to contemplate the tangible, yet often elusive, nature of justice.