Gezicht op de ruïnes van een pantheon in Pompeï c. 1860 - 1880

Curator: What strikes me first is how this old photograph, "Gezicht op de ruïnes van een pantheon in Pompeï", roughly dated between 1860 and 1880 and attributed to Giorgio Sommer, almost seems to predate photography itself. The muted tones lend it an incredibly ancient quality. Editor: Yes, it feels like a faded memory. The somber hues and the ruined structure evoke a profound sense of loss, of a vibrant past swallowed by time. Even the way it’s presented, as a stereo card, offers two nearly identical views which highlight how nothing ever stays the same, even in a split second. Curator: Precisely! Sommer’s choice to present the ruins as a stereo card, something quite popular at the time for travel keepsakes, almost cheapens the monumentality. It's like turning tragedy into a souvenir. The composition too, with those stark columns standing like ghostly figures against a bleached sky, amplifies the feelings of desolation. Editor: Absolutely. Those columns… they speak volumes, don’t they? Standing as silent witnesses. In the image, I see not only physical ruin but also the ruins of belief systems and power structures. Pantheons were, after all, dedicated to the gods, and seeing it in this state raises questions about faith and mortality. Even those aged borders that seem to "hold" the view, emphasize containment, a snapshot from another time. Curator: And Giorgio Sommer, capturing it all on what looks to be homemade or aged paper. It is a tangible connection to the era it depicts. It almost makes you question how many lives came and went and beheld that same panorama. Editor: I agree. There is something intensely powerful about looking back through history – through art. These old photographic prints possess that unique quality of making time feel less linear, don't you think? Like those ruins whispering stories if we only pause to listen. Curator: Yes, indeed. Sommer, with his camera, captured not just a scene but a whole world on the brink of being forgotten. And these prints offer an experience that lets us walk with the ghosts of Pompeii for a moment. Editor: Precisely, it is as though the image holds something unspoken, beckoning viewers into contemplative silence – a far more evocative symbol, even more powerful than words can convey.