Tempel van Horus op de Wereldtentoonstelling in 1867 1867

Léon & Lévy created this stereoscopic photograph of the Temple of Horus at the 1867 World Fair in Paris. Here, symbols of ancient Egypt such as the sphinx, the columns, and the hieroglyphs are all deliberately employed to connect the contemporary fair to the historical past. The sphinx motif, prominently featured, serves as a powerful symbol. Throughout the ages, from the monumental sculpture at Giza to its later appearances in Renaissance art, it has represented guardianship, mystery, and the enigma of ancient wisdom. We see echoes of this motif in the medieval gargoyles perched atop cathedrals, silently guarding sacred spaces. The emotional draw of these symbols is profound. They evoke a sense of timelessness, tapping into our collective subconscious, reminding us of the cyclical nature of history, where images and ideas never truly disappear but resurface, transformed, in different epochs. These cultural memories and symbols resurface and are reinvented, each time carrying new layers of meaning.