Twee details van het exterieur van de San Marco in Venetië before 1884

Carl Heinrich Jacobi captured these two exterior details of the San Marco in Venice with ink on paper. The upper panel shows a window frame divided into four squares, each filled with symbolic carvings of leaves and flowers, emblems of nature's bounty and spiritual growth. Consider how similar vegetal motifs appear in Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, signaling a perennial rebirth and divine favor. Circular motifs of the lower panel, echo ancient Greek and Roman designs, symbolizing eternity and wholeness. These patterns transcend mere decoration; they are echoes of humanity’s enduring quest for order and understanding in the cosmos. This repetition isn't mere imitation. Each culture, subconsciously drawn to these archetypes, reinterprets them, layering new meaning onto old forms, demonstrating the ever-shifting, cyclical nature of symbols.