Zicht op de Triomfboog van Orange 1820

Constant Bourgeois created this print of the Triumphal Arch of Orange using etching and engraving techniques. This arch, a potent symbol of Roman imperial power, stands in what is now southern France. Bourgeois’s image invites us to consider how power is visualized and remembered. Triumphal arches, like this one, were designed to celebrate military victories and assert Roman authority over conquered territories. Bourgeois, working within a later European context, seems to be engaging with the legacy of this Roman power, and perhaps with France’s own imperial ambitions. Notice the figures included in the landscape. They are dwarfed by the monument, rendering them almost anonymous. What does it mean to live within the shadow of such grand historical narratives? The print is also an emotional and personal object. It invites contemplation of the past and our place within it. It reminds us that history is never truly past; it continues to shape our present.