Drie metalen objecten van Garrand & Co. gedecoreerd met mythologishe voorstellingen, tentoongesteld op de Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations van 1851 in Londen 1851

This photograph by Ferrier and von Martens captures three metal objects by Garrand & Co., showcased at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Adorned with mythological figures, these objects reflect a fascination with classical antiquity characteristic of the period. Consider the central piece, its surface teeming with gods and heroes. These figures are not merely decorative; they evoke a lineage stretching back to ancient Greece and Rome. Similar motifs appear throughout the Renaissance, reborn in painting, sculpture, and even domestic objects. Observe how these mythological symbols persist, adapting to new contexts. What was once a religious or spiritual symbol transforms into a marker of cultural refinement and sophistication. The Great Exhibition itself, a celebration of industrial progress, becomes a stage for these ancient narratives, demonstrating the cyclical return and reinvention of cultural memory, and engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level.