Gipsmodel voor beeldhouwwerk van het Palais du Louvre: "La Clémence et la Puissance" door Pierre Edouard Charrier c. 1855 - 1857

This photograph by Edouard Baldus captures Pierre Edouard Charrier’s plaster model for a sculpture intended for the Palais du Louvre. Baldus, working in mid-19th century France, was commissioned to document significant architectural and cultural landmarks. Photography at this time was closely tied to state power and national identity. This image encapsulates the grandeur and authority associated with French institutions. The sculpture itself, with its allegorical figures symbolizing clemency and power, reflects the era's emphasis on idealized representations of virtue and strength. The cherubic figures and elaborate heraldry are rendered in meticulous detail, yet they evoke questions about the values that underpinned the French Empire, and its representations of power. While seemingly benign, the symbolism embedded in such works served to legitimize structures of authority and control. It stands as a reminder of how art can both reflect and reinforce the prevailing ideologies of its time.