Gezicht op de Ridderzaal tijdens de restauratie 1902

This photograph, taken by an anonymous photographer working for Monumentenzorg, captures a moment of transformation. The Ridderzaal is laid bare, its skeleton exposed as it undergoes restoration. I wonder what the photographer was thinking when they composed this shot? It's not just a record of renovation, but an act of revealing. The scaffolding forms a kind of drawing against the sky, lines intersecting and creating new shapes. The tones of brown, brick, and aged stone give a gritty feeling, like something has been dug up and brought to light. Think of all the hands that built this hall, brick by brick, and now, beam by beam, it’s being reborn. It reminds me how artists work too, tearing down and rebuilding, adding layers, scraping away, always in search of a new perspective. It's like a conversation between past and present, each generation leaving its mark. It shows how making is a constant act of remaking.