The inspiration for this mezzotint are some of the sculptures on many European, notably French Gothic, cathedrals, like the one in Strasbourg that depict the victorious Church next to a demure and acquiescent Synagogue; Church with a staff that looks also a bit like a sword, proud and boisterous, Synagogue blindfolded facing down, meek with a broken staff: www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/strasbourg/strasbourg.html.
In my image Church placed her cross-shaped swords down, also the Greek Cross, whereas Synagogue removed her blindfold and, instead of a broken staff, she has in her hand a fully lighted seven-armed, eight if we include the center one, candelabrum or menorah, like the one that was present in the Temple in Jerusalem and as depicted while being paraded through Rome following its removal from the temple by the future Emperor Titus in his famous Victory Arch in the Forum Romanum: www.ebibleteacher.com/images/ArchofTitusTempleTreasurestbn011901.jpg.
The intention of the image being that Church and Synagogue are equal partners, rather than that one is better than the other. The images around the central image reflect the gargoyles found on many of these cathedrals. The central image and the surrounding ones are all individual plates printed at the same time.
