Studies of Angel and Scales for "Judgment" Lunette, Boston Public Library (recto and verso) c. 1903 - 1916

Curator: I find this sketch, John Singer Sargent's "Studies of Angel and Scales for 'Judgment' Lunette," so compelling. It's currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The first impression is one of vulnerability, even in the face of judgment. The angel seems almost burdened by the scales. Curator: Absolutely. Knowing this was a preparatory sketch for the Boston Public Library mural cycle gives context. Sargent was grappling with themes of divine judgment during a period of significant social upheaval. Editor: The scales themselves are such potent symbols, universally understood to represent justice and balance, but here rendered with a nervous fragility. Curator: Indeed. Consider the angel's androgynous representation, perhaps a deliberate choice to broaden the scope of who is judged and who judges. Editor: It makes me wonder, what did 'justice' mean during the late 19th century? Curator: Precisely. It calls into question whose scales we use to measure societal values then, and even now. Editor: A quick sketch, and yet so much to unpack, even today.