Gipsafgietsel van een reliëf in het Musée des monuments français, voorstellende een lezende vrouw met een adelaar c. 1875 - 1900

This photograph by Médéric Mieusement captures a plaster cast of a relief from the Musée des monuments français. Notice the sepia tones that wash over the architectural fragment, presenting a tableau of classical motifs. The photograph’s composition juxtaposes a standing female figure with a seated, reading woman accompanied by an eagle, each framed within distinct panels. The standing figure is more static, while the other panel suggests dynamism, with flowing robes. A column divides these figurative elements, imposing a visual structure that encourages a comparative reading of forms. Mieusement’s choice to photograph a plaster cast introduces a play of copies, questioning originality and representation. It destabilizes our understanding of form and context. It is less about the relic, and more about its restaging.