A Water Wheel in Bordighera (Italy) 1875

Adolphe Appian etched this view of a water wheel in Bordighera, Italy. The central image is a water wheel, a motif deeply embedded in human history as a symbol of industry and transformation, the ceaseless turning of the wheel speaks to the cyclical nature of life. Consider the wheel not just as a piece of machinery, but as a cosmological symbol. In various traditions, the wheel represents the sun, fate, or even reincarnation. Like a Mandala it’s a symbol of cosmic order and perpetual motion, connecting the earthly with the divine. This motif echoes in the broader context of art history, think of the “Rota Fortunae,” the Wheel of Fortune, a concept from ancient philosophy adopted into medieval art. The water wheel, in its own way, mirrors this, it also symbolizes the ever-changing nature of existence. The wheel is an emotive force that engages us on a subconscious level, evoking a sense of continuity and change, a memento mori, inviting us to reflect on the passage of time.