Nis in gangpad c. 1658 - 1670

Jean Lepautre etched this image of a church aisle, printed on laid paper, sometime in the 17th century. Notice how the interior of the church is embellished with garlands and angelic figures; a cross sits atop the altar, and candles flicker near the altar and in the foreground. In early Christianity, light was seen as a symbol of divine presence, and the presence of these visual cues points towards the church as a vessel for God. We see the use of candles, crosses, and garland reappear again and again throughout art history, passed down through collective memory. One sees a similar use of light and garland in the baroque paintings of Peter Paul Rubens or the sculptures of Bernini. These symbols, like actors on a stage, evoke powerful subconscious emotional responses—a sense of reverence, perhaps, and the sublime. The sacred space of the church has been repurposed through time, adapted, and re-contextualized for new audiences across cultures.