Gezicht op een zaal in de stijl van Lodewijk XIII in het hotel van Brahy-Prost in Luik, België before 1898

This photograph by H. Waeles captures a room in the Louis XIII style at the Brahy-Prost hotel in Liège, Belgium. The heavy wooden furniture, rich textiles, and elaborate fireplace are all hallmarks of the era. Notice the busts atop the fireplace mantle. This motif recurs throughout history, evoking the Roman tradition of displaying ancestral portraits. The Roman's used them as a reminder of lineage and virtue. In the Renaissance, we see a revival of the bust to symbolize learning and humanism. Here, these busts stand as a testament to the owner's refined taste and connection to the past. Consider the cyclical nature of these symbols. From ancient Rome to Renaissance Italy, and now, in this 19th-century room, the busts serve as powerful, subconscious reminders of the past, reimagined in different contexts. They are not mere decoration, but carriers of collective memory.