Gezicht op het standbeeld van koning Leopold I en de Banque Nationale te Antwerpen 1872 - 1900

This photograph captures the statue of King Leopold I and the National Bank in Antwerp. The equestrian statue is a powerful symbol, harking back to antiquity, where emperors were immortalized on horseback. Consider Marcus Aurelius, whose statue in Rome survived because it was mistaken for Constantine, thus spared destruction due to its assumed Christian association. Equestrian statues evoke authority, leadership, and the triumph of the ruler. The gesture of the horse, neither rearing nor galloping, symbolizes controlled power, a theme echoed in the rigid architecture of the Banque Nationale. This controlled power conveys not just political authority, but a deeper psychological assurance, tapping into our collective memory of leadership. These symbols are not static; they evolve, resurface, and are continually reinterpreted across time and space, engaging us on a subconscious level with ideas of power and permanence.