Gipsmodellen voor kariatiden op het Palais du Louvre door Astyanax Bosio c. 1855 - 1857

This is a photograph by Edouard Baldus, depicting plaster models for caryatids at the Palais du Louvre. The photograph captures not the finished architectural element, but rather the models used in their creation. Plaster, as a material, is easily molded. It is the perfect medium for prototyping. Think about the skilled labor that goes into creating a plaster model: the shaping, the smoothing, the refining of details. These are not mere copies; they are unique objects, each bearing the mark of the hand that shaped them. In this image, we are invited to consider not only the artistry of the final product, but the human endeavor and craftsmanship involved in its making. It reminds us that even in the age of mass production, there's still room for the handmade, for the individual touch that elevates an object from the mundane to the extraordinary.