Drie halve epitafen, twee halve portalen en de helft van een altaar 1610

This is Gabriel Kramer's intriguing drawing, "Three Half Epitaphs, Two Half Portals, and Half of an Altar”. Created around the late 16th or early 17th century, the sketch gives us insight into the aesthetic and cultural values of the time. During this era, architectural designs were not just about function; they were powerful statements of identity, status, and religious belief. Kramer's work reflects the intersection of art, architecture, and society, a world where gender, class, and religious affiliations were visually encoded into the structures of daily life. Notice how the detailed ornamentation and the careful arrangement of elements suggest more than just architectural forms; they evoke spaces of memory, transition, and reverence. These designs would have dictated how individuals experienced public and private life. Architectural elements were tools through which society shaped individual and collective identities. Reflecting on Kramer’s work, we can consider how spaces define who we are and who we aspire to be, and ask ourselves: What do our buildings say about us?