Fotoreproductie van Het visioen van Ezechiël door Rafaël 1850 - 1900

Gustav Schauer made this photographic reproduction of Raphael’s ‘Vision of Ezekiel’ sometime in the 19th century. Schauer, working in a time of burgeoning industrialization, mass production and the first technologies of mechanical reproduction, chose to recreate a High Renaissance masterpiece. But what does it mean to reproduce an image of divine vision in an age increasingly defined by secularism and science? Raphael’s original painting presents a powerful, masculine God surrounded by symbols of the evangelists, evoking themes of power and divine authority. Schauer's black and white photographic copy renders this scene in a more muted tonality. The effect softens its drama, and perhaps reflects the changing societal attitudes towards religion amidst the rise of modernity. Consider how this reproduction invites us to reflect on the role of art in mediating our understanding of faith, power, and tradition in an era defined by change.