Gevelornamenten van Oude Vest 72 te Leiden 1890 - 1920

This photograph captures the facade ornaments of Oude Vest 72 in Leiden, immortalized by an anonymous photographer from Monumentenzorg, though, of course, these ornaments were made by an artist and artisan. What I see here are fragments of a building’s story, literally carved in stone. I’m thinking about the hands that shaped them, the vision that turned stone into expressive faces. Look at the lion heads, their manes like wild scribbles, and the grotesque masks – each a unique character. They must have been thinking about how to ward off bad luck when they made these. You can tell the light has been playing on their surfaces for years, softening the edges. Maybe the artists were laughing or thinking about the people who would be walking under these ornaments. It all makes me think about the art of storytelling. I wonder what they would think of this photo and how they’d be seeing their work in a different light. It's the dialogue across time, the inspiration that leaps from one maker to another. It is a beautiful thing.