Gipsmodellen voor beeldhouwwerken op het Palais du Louvre: links "L'Océanie" door De Herleg en rechts "Le Feu" door Henri-Frédéric Iselin c. 1855 - 1857

Edouard Baldus made this photograph of plaster models for sculptures at the Palais du Louvre sometime in the mid-19th century. During this period, photography was increasingly used for documentation, yet here Baldus also reveals the artistic process behind monumental sculpture. The photograph features two plaster models, “L'Océanie” and “Le Feu”, both studies for larger works intended to adorn the Louvre, each embodying allegorical concepts. These sculptures, while seemingly classical, were created in a time of intense colonial expansion, particularly by France. The representation of "Oceania," often personified, reflects a European perspective on distant lands and people. In many ways, the piece represents the emotional distance inherent in colonial narratives, reflecting the detached and objectifying gaze that underpinned imperial projects. The plaster models, precursors to grand sculptures, mirror the tentative, formative stages of empire itself, capturing both the ambition and the inherent instability of such ventures.