Interieur van de regentenkamer van het hofje Meermansburg, Oude Vest 159, Leiden c. 1900 - 1940

Richard Tepe made this photograph of the Interior of the Regentenkamer of the Hofje Meermansburg in Leiden at an unknown date. The sepia tone imbues the image with a sense of timelessness, but it is not just a record; it’s a study in light, texture and form. Look at the long table draped in heavy fabric, its pleats cascading to the floor, they almost seem to dance! The fabric softens the whole room, it makes me think of Gerhard Richter's blurred surfaces, how they evoke memory and the passage of time. And then there are the portraits on the wall, each face a story, each frame meticulously placed. The portraits create this pattern, this rhythm that leads your eye around the room. In this way, the image becomes like a painting, you start to think that Tepe wasn’t just documenting a room, but creating a composition. It’s a conversation between past and present.