Twee bronzen beelden van mannelijke engelen met raderen en slaghamers in de hand, zittend aan weerszijden van een medaillon, gesitueerd boven een deurpartij. c. 1878 - 1881

Louis-Emile Durandelle created this photograph of bronze sculptures, sometime during his career. Durandelle was a 19th-century French photographer known for documenting the construction of Parisian landmarks, like the Opera Garnier. Consider these winged figures. Their idealized forms reference classical art. The brawny physique contrasts with the ethereal nature that we might expect from an angel. These figures, with their exposed torsos, hold industrial tools such as a cog and a hammer. This signals the changing social and economic landscape of late 19th-century Paris. It suggests a fusion of traditional and modern values. Masculinity, labor, and divinity merge. The artist creates a modern mythos of the industrial age. This image is a reminder of our constant negotiation between tradition and progress. It also evokes a sense of wonder at the scale and ambition of human creation.