Reliëf van Christus' graflegging aan de buitenkant van de Sint-Sebalduskerk, Neurenberg 1868 - 1888

Editor: Here we have Johann Friedrich Stiehm’s photograph, taken between 1868 and 1888, of a relief depicting Christ's burial at the St. Sebaldus Church in Nuremberg. The gelatin-silver print has such incredible detail, but the overwhelming feeling is one of enclosure, looking through those iron bars. What's your read on this piece? Curator: The bars immediately suggest a discussion on accessibility, doesn’t it? Think about the labor involved in producing this image—mining the silver, manufacturing the photographic paper, the darkroom work, not to mention the skilled metalwork in that railing. How does the act of photographing and reproducing a sacred scene like Christ's burial transform its accessibility and consumption by the masses? Editor: So you're thinking about the impact of photographic reproduction on religious art. Do you mean it almost commodifies faith? Curator: Precisely. Consider also, who had access to the tools, materials, and time required for photography at this period? The print becomes an object of the rising bourgeois, democratizing in some respects, but also limited by economic means. This relates to discussions around who controls the narrative and representation of religious figures. Editor: That’s a really interesting point about control. Does that make the railing both a literal barrier in the photo, but also maybe a symbolic one representing class? Curator: The fence acts as a mediating device. It suggests that we are viewing something precious and perhaps also restricting access. What is protected? A monument to faith or social hierarchies and power dynamics? Editor: That definitely makes me see the image differently. I initially just thought about the solemnity of the subject matter. Curator: Understanding the materials and the production processes provides critical layers of meaning beyond initial impressions. It prompts us to interrogate social contexts.