Timpaan met een voorstelling van het Laatste Oordeel in een portaal van de Notre-Dame in Parijs c. 1850 - 1880

This is a stereograph made by Vibien Golvin, depicting the tympanum of the Notre-Dame de Paris. The photograph captures the Last Judgement scene carved into the stone portal, a testament to the cathedral's elaborate sculptural program. The choice of photography as a medium is intriguing. It marks a shift in how art and architecture are consumed, transitioning from unique, hand-crafted experiences to mass-produced images. This stereograph could be held in the hand, and brings the grandeur of the Notre-Dame to a wider audience, packaged as a commodity. The image itself bears witness to the labor-intensive process of stone carving. The tympanum is densely populated with figures, each carefully shaped to convey the drama of the Last Judgement. The photograph flattens the sculpture, obscuring the depth of the relief, it also democratizes the artwork, challenging traditional hierarchies between original and reproduction, art and commodity.