Napoleon's tomb with a hidden silhouette 1838 - 1893

Curator: At first glance, I'd call it 'melancholy, bordering on spooky' which I immediately like. The texture gives it this wonderful ghostly feel. Editor: And it does that so well given its actually a print. This is "Napoleon's tomb with a hidden silhouette", by François-Charles Oberthür, done sometime between 1838 and 1893. See it, over there in the corner? Curator: That looming willow? Its leaves practically weep. It feels like it’s guarding secrets—perhaps about Napoleon himself? The whole scene is shrouded in twilight and dotted with such rich symbolism! Editor: It does pull you in, doesn't it? Willows often signify mourning, loss. The tombstone practically glows under the moonlight—which can itself symbolise revelation, though filtered, like truth seen indirectly. Curator: And there’s a playfulness, even, when you dig in. I read somewhere the profile of Napoleon hidden in the shadows, kind of arrogant given its supposedly mourning. I love how it adds a touch of irony, this wink to Napoleon's ego even in death. Editor: Ah, but there's such rich cultural resonance, though! Napoleon was such a totemic figure in the 19th century, embodying revolutionary ambition and then, eventual collapse. His tomb becomes this landscape of remembrance but it makes me wonder—who mourns the tyrant? Curator: Maybe it isn’t about mourning *him* as much as reflecting on ambition itself. What gets built, and what inevitably falls. And, perhaps, that constant human drive to make stories, shape legacies, even out of darkness. I love the almost urgent question it proposes. Editor: It proposes quite a few! These symbols of the time were understood immediately and this print, so accessible. Prints are never just 'prints', it tells you what everyone's thinking and why... This little world in shades of gray definitely sparked thought. Curator: Absolutely! Now, I am seeing an infinite series of potential stories behind this landscape which only gives even more life and depth into his etching. It is indeed quite spectacular!