Sculptuur van Maria op een bol met een slang die in eigen staart bijt, door Leopold Borbone before 1859

This is a photograph of a sculpture, titled “Sculptuur van Maria op een bol met een slang die in eigen staart bijt”, which means “Sculpture of Mary on a sphere with a snake biting its own tail”, by Grillet jeune. The subdued tones of the photograph emphasize the texture and three-dimensionality of the sculpture, in which Maria is standing on top of a globe with the snake. The composition is classical; she is the stable vertical axis, serene in her pose. The circularity of the snake biting its tail speaks to the eternal and cyclical nature of time, but here the snake, often seen as a symbol of temptation, is subservient. Maria's placement above it implies the triumph of faith over earthly temptations, and a new, Christian order over the pagan symbol of the ouroboros. The photograph captures the sculpture's intended purpose of reinforcing religious doctrine. The image serves as a document, but also becomes a study in how photography can capture and frame meaning through careful arrangement and contrast.