rond plafondornament, een reliëf met afgebeeld de vier winddrichtingen in hoofden. c. 1878 - 1881

This photograph by Louis-Emile Durandelle captures a relief of a ceiling ornament, showcasing the four cardinal directions represented as distinct heads. Each direction is not merely a point on a compass, but a personality, a force embodied. The cherubic face at the top symbolizes the North Wind, reminiscent of ancient depictions of Zephyr, the gentle West Wind of classical antiquity. Notice how such figures, initially tied to meteorological phenomena, evolve into more abstract representations of direction and influence. This symbol, like the others, carries the echo of pagan gods, reborn here in architectural ornament. The faces of these figures gaze fixedly, yet this gaze has the power to evoke in us a deep, almost subconscious response. The continual recurrence and adaptation of symbols like these speaks to a collective memory, a cultural inheritance we carry within us. It is through understanding these patterns of symbolism that we come to understand ourselves and the world around us.