Opstelling van een gipsafgietsel van het oksaal uit de Kathedraal van Limoges in het Musée des Monuments français te Parijs c. 1875 - 1900

This photograph by Médéric Mieusement captures a plaster cast of the rood screen from Limoges Cathedral, displayed at the Musée des Monuments Français in Paris. Plaster casts like this one were common in the 19th century as ways of preserving and studying architectural details. Consider how Mieusement's photograph captures not just the *appearance* of the rood screen, but also the *process* of its reproduction. The plaster, a humble material, stands in for the original stone, transforming a monumental structure into a portable object. We should also consider the labor involved: quarrying the stone for the original rood screen, carving its intricate details, and then the additional work of creating the plaster cast, all point to a vast, often unseen workforce. Mieusement's photograph, then, is not just a record of a beautiful object, but also a testament to the power of reproduction and the often-hidden labor that underpins both art and industry. It invites us to consider the social and economic forces that shape our understanding of art history.