Binnenplaats van het Dogepaleis te Venetië, Italië 1858 - 1875

This photograph of the courtyard of the Doge’s Palace in Venice was taken by Carlo Ponti, sometime in the late 19th century. Ponti was part of a generation of photographers who documented European cities, feeding a growing desire for visual records of the continent’s architectural heritage. The image captures the imposing scale and intricate details of the Palace's architecture. But it's also the absence of people that strikes me. The Doge's Palace was the epicentre of Venetian political power for centuries, a site saturated with narratives of governance, justice, and social control. Consider how Ponti’s choice to present it devoid of human presence subtly shifts the Palace from a place of power to a relic of the past. What remains is a meditation on power, its visual manifestations, and the quietude that follows its departure. The photograph invites us to consider our own place within this historical and political landscape.