Gipsmodellen voor beeldhouwwerken op het Palais du Louvre: links "Lavoisier" door Jacques Maillet en rechts "Lalande" door Jean-Joseph Perraud c. 1855 - 1857

Edouard Baldus created this albumen print featuring plaster models for sculptures around the Palais du Louvre. The photograph’s cool sepia tones lend it a detached, documentary quality. The composition is formally balanced, with each sculpture centered in its own rectangular space. What makes this image interesting is how it captures the transition from sculpture to photography, and from three dimensions to two. Baldus, through his choice of lighting and focus, emphasizes the textures and surfaces of the plaster, almost as if he were trying to replicate the tactile experience of sculpture through the visual medium of photography. Ultimately, this work encourages us to consider how photography can not only document but also interpret and transform our understanding of three-dimensional art. It challenges our perceptions, inviting us to consider how different mediums can represent reality, and how each medium has its own unique language and capabilities.