Marmeren sculpturen aan een balkon in de Santa Maria Maggiore in Trento, Italië before 1893

Otto Schmidt captured these marble sculptures on a balcony in the Santa Maria Maggiore in Trento, Italy, in a photograph. This image opens a window onto the world of religious art and its place in society. Consider the significance of religious sculptures, historically commissioned by the elite, to inspire devotion and reinforce social hierarchies. The figures are immortalized in marble, a classical material that exudes power and permanence. Are they merely aesthetic objects, or do they carry deeper symbolic weight? How do these sculpted figures shape our understanding of power, spirituality, and cultural identity? Schmidt's photograph invites us to reflect on the ways in which art reflects, and shapes, our understanding of history, belief, and self. By framing these sculptures, Schmidt prompts us to consider the ongoing dialogue between art and the construction of identity.