Balustrade met reliëf van de San Marco in Venetië before 1885

Carl Heinrich Jacobi captured this balustrade relief from San Marco in Venice using photography, a medium itself grappling with the transmission of cultural memory. The relief features striking circular motifs, each a sun-like emblem radiating power, flanked by serpentine forms evoking primordial energy. Consider how similar sun symbols blaze across cultures—from the Egyptian Ra to Apollo in ancient Greece—each embodying life-giving force and divine authority. The serpent, too, slithers through art history as a symbol of transformation, healing, and sometimes, chaos. Note the cross motifs; these speak to the evolving visual language, a palimpsest of cultural expression. These symbols aren’t static; they morph and adapt, carrying echoes of past beliefs into new contexts. The image works on our subconscious. Like dreams, it stirs deep-seated emotions, reminding us of the continuous dialogue between humanity and its symbols.