Vooraanzicht van de relikwieënkast van Sint Waltrudis in de Sint-Waltrudiskerk in Mons, België before 1896

Joseph Casier captured this view of the reliquary of Saint Waltrudis in the Saint Waltrudis Church, Mons, Belgium, in a monochrome print. The visual experience here is one of ornate detail meticulously captured, where shapes create a dense and layered composition. Consider how Casier uses the interplay of light and shadow to articulate the object’s architectural form, casting the entire structure as one unified in its display of complexity. The form, which echoes classical arches, might be interpreted through a structuralist lens as reflecting historical motifs of power. The photograph uses its composition to make a statement about how meaning is created through symbols and their cultural context. The object here creates an opportunity to explore historical faith, artistic interpretation, and the very human need to memorialize and seek meaning in our world through symbolic structures.