Beeld van Christus voor een mozaïek met engelen boven een deur van de San Marco in Venetië before 1885

Carl Heinrich Jacobi captured this image of the statue of Christ in front of a mosaic with angels above a door of the San Marco in Venice with photography, a medium still young in the 19th century. Jacobi's lens offers us a glimpse into the symbolic dialogue between the earthly and the divine, a theme deeply ingrained in Venice's cultural identity. Positioned above a doorway, this depiction of Christ serves as both a welcoming figure and a symbolic gatekeeper. It prompts us to consider the intersections of faith, power, and the embodied experience of encountering religious iconography. The choice of capturing this subject through photography invites reflection on the medium’s capacity to both document and interpret. Consider how the photograph, with its tonal range and detail, shapes our understanding of the mosaic’s narrative and the statue’s presence.