Hand Clasping a Knotted Rope, for Frieze of Angels, Boston Public Library 1893 - 1903

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent’s study, “Hand Clasping a Knotted Rope, for Frieze of Angels.” It's a detailed pencil drawing. It feels almost like a fragment of a larger story. How do you interpret this work, especially considering it was for the Boston Public Library? Curator: The sketch's connection to the Boston Public Library is key. The Frieze of Angels was meant to represent knowledge and progress. The rope, usually a symbol of bondage, when clasped, can be about the power to control or perhaps even escape constraints, literally and metaphorically. Editor: Escape from constraints… I hadn’t considered that. I was too focused on the struggle. Curator: Sargent was often engaging with historical and social narratives. Maybe he was asking, who gets to hold the rope and for what purpose? What do you think? Editor: It makes you consider who holds power and what they do with it. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely! Art invites us to ask those crucial questions.