Fotoreproductie van het linkerdeel van het fresco De toren van Babel naar Benozzo Gozzoli, in het Camposanto te Pisa, Italië 1860 - 1881

This is a photographic reproduction by Giacomo Brogi of a fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli depicting the Tower of Babel. The fresco was made in Italy, sometime in the 15th century. The Tower of Babel is a potent symbol of human ambition and its potential for overreach. The fresco was originally located in the Camposanto of Pisa, a monumental cemetery, and was part of a larger decorative program with strong ties to civic identity. The Camposanto was not simply a burial ground but also a space for public display and communal memory. The choice of the Tower of Babel as a subject speaks to the pride of the city of Pisa, which in the 15th century was attempting to reinforce its status as a republic with powerful trading networks. The photographic reproduction raises additional questions. Photography in the 19th century allowed for a wider distribution of images of important artworks, but it also transformed them into commodities divorced from their original context. To fully understand the meaning of this image, we might look to sources such as city records of Pisa, architectural plans of the Camposanto, or catalogues of photographic production in 19th century Italy.