Vue prise au Nord de Philae - Village de Kounoço 1849 - 1850

Maxime Du Camp captured this photograph of the village of Kounoço, north of Philae, in the mid-19th century. The image presents a serene landscape, yet the mirror-like reflection in the water invites a deeper contemplation. Reflections in art have long symbolized duality and transformation. Think of Narcissus, gazing at his reflection, a motif echoed through Renaissance paintings to contemporary art. But here, the stillness of the water also evokes the concept of eternal return, the cyclical nature of time that permeates ancient Egyptian beliefs. Consider how the village, mirrored in the water, creates a double image, almost as if suggesting an alternative world. This recalls the psychological concept of the Doppelgänger, the ghostly double that represents the hidden self, or a premonition of death. This photograph doesn't just show us a place; it invites us to contemplate the nature of existence, the passage of time, and our own place within the cosmos.