Muurschilderingen in het Baptisterium van Sint Johannes te Poitiers 1869 - 1925

Antoon Derkinderen sketched these mural designs for the Baptistery of Saint John in Poitiers using pencil and watercolor. Note the halo, a radiant circle, around the heads of the holy figures. This symbol, ubiquitous in religious art, didn’t originate with Christianity. We find it earlier, in Hellenistic depictions of gods like Apollo and Roman emperors, signifying power and divinity. The act of bearing or holding the child is a powerful image that transcends cultures. Consider the ancient Egyptian depictions of Isis holding Horus, echoed in countless later images of mother and child. These images resonate deeply, tapping into our collective memory of maternal love and protection. These motifs, while transformed, retain the primal power to evoke a sense of comfort and connection. Symbols such as the halo aren't linear in their evolution, but appear as cyclical returns, evolving and adapting across time.