Gezicht op de Arche scaligere in Verona c. 1860 - 1880

Curator: This albumen print by Giorgio Sommer, taken between 1860 and 1880, presents a view of the Arche Scaligere in Verona. Editor: My first thought is of a theatrical backdrop, almost excessively Gothic. The detail, rendered through photography, gives it a certain solidity, yet they still feel strangely staged. Curator: Indeed. These are not merely buildings but mausoleums, testaments to the Scaligeri family’s power in Verona. The Gothic style evokes authority and a deliberate connection to an imagined medieval past, steeped in heraldry and chivalric codes. Editor: The repetitive forms almost feel mass-produced, even though I know each would've been painstakingly crafted. I wonder about the economics involved – the stone, the labour, and how photography like this impacted perception and, perhaps, the accessibility of these monuments. It would likely spread awareness for architects and influence style at a broader range. Curator: Photography allowed for a democratization of access, but also codified a certain way of seeing. Sommer's lens aestheticizes these power symbols. We see how wealth manipulates visual memory and identity. It’s not only about recording what is there, but reinforcing what the patrons wished to project through iconography—strength, lineage, divine right. Editor: I'm struck by how the light, though naturally occurring, seems carefully arranged to reveal form and texture of these tombs. The whole point of such monuments must be to convey endurance but that's not the case, necessarily; the albumen print, with all its chemicals and processing, gives it its own vulnerability to time and damage. Curator: Perhaps that ephemerality is its own comment on power – everything, even stone and dynasty, fades. Thank you, your material consideration has really broadened my perspective on this piece. Editor: Likewise, your explanation about how visual symbols project memory really highlighted something important, something about legacy and mortality that I wasn’t so keenly aware of before.