Snapshots of the Past

Lunette mural of figures reading a document beside a scroll – Historic Print

Lunette mural of figures reading a document beside a scroll — historic image
Lunette mural of figures reading a document beside a scroll. Historic image from the Books & Writers collection.

(Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

A window into the past: Lunette mural of figures reading a document beside a scroll, preserved in this historic image. It comes from the Snapshots of the Past collection, curated over 25 years for its historical value.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

Lunette mural of figures reading a document beside a scroll

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Above a door or window, a lunette is a half-moon field of wall, and this mural fills one with two figures reading a document beside a scroll. The pairing contrasts a document, which suggests a record or a current matter, with a scroll, which suggests older learning, so the picture treats the written word as both a working tool and a store of knowledge. Painted lunettes of this kind appeared in churches, libraries and civic halls from the Renaissance onward, where scenes of reading reminded viewers why texts were kept and studied. The hands and the paper carry most of the meaning here, so they are worth a closer look.

Original scan4,078 × 3,309 px · prints to 14 × 11 in at 300 dpi
Reference07359uevolution of the book

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Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

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