Twee zuilen in Romaanse stijl van Schloss Tirol in Merano, Italië before 1893

This is Otto Schmidt’s photograph of two Romanesque columns at Schloss Tirol in Merano, Italy. The date of the photograph is unknown. Romanesque architecture, popular in Europe from around 1000 AD to the rise of Gothic styles in the 12th century, signified a period of relative stability and the re-emergence of large-scale building projects after the Dark Ages. Photographs of architecture served a practical purpose as documentation, but here, Schmidt's choice to isolate these columns and frame them against the landscape invites us to reflect on the history and cultural values embedded in these forms. The image highlights the way photography, as an emerging technology, was used to categorize and classify historical styles, solidifying them within an institutional understanding of art history. To truly understand this photograph, we must consider the historical context of Schloss Tirol itself, its role in the region, and the cultural significance of the Romanesque style in the collective memory of Europe.