Fotoreproductie van een prent naar een fresco door Rafaël van Jacobs droom before 1868

Edward Dunmore created this photogravure reproduction of Raphael’s fresco of Jacob’s Dream, where a man reclines at the base of a ladder reaching to the heavens, populated by angelic figures. The ladder, a potent symbol, transcends cultures and epochs. Here, it represents divine connection, echoing the Tower of Babel’s ambition, yet differing in its God-ordained nature. Ladders appear in ancient Egyptian art, symbolizing ascent to the afterlife. In Greek mythology, they are associated with Hermes, a mediator between gods and mortals. This image taps into our collective unconscious, evoking a yearning for transcendence. Like a recurring dream, the ladder surfaces in our cultural memory, each time imbued with new significance, yet retaining its primal allure. We are reminded that symbols, like migratory birds, traverse vast distances of time and space, their songs echoing through the corridors of human experience.