Gipsmodellen voor het timpaan van de arcade op de eerste verdieping van het Pavillon Sully c. 1855 - 1857

Edouard Baldus made this photograph of plaster models for the tympanum of the arcade on the first floor of the Pavillon Sully. Baldus, working in mid-19th century France, operated in a society undergoing massive transformations. Photography, still in its relative infancy, was being harnessed both to document and to shape perceptions of the world, particularly in relation to architectural and urban spaces. Here, cherubic figures typical of classical art are captured in a new medium. It’s easy to imagine the aesthetic impact of this work on its original viewers. But photography as a medium was not neutral; it carried the weight of colonialism and emerging industrial power, shaping narratives of progress and cultural identity. Consider the photograph's subjects as embodiments of innocence and beauty, yet produced in a world of social and political upheaval. Baldus’s photograph does more than just document architectural models; it invites us to consider the complex interplay between art, representation, and society during a pivotal moment in history.