Les funérailles de Guillaume le Conquérant 

Jean-Paul Laurens painted "Les funérailles de Guillaume le Conquérant," depicting the funeral of William the Conqueror. The solemnity of the scene is punctuated by the presence of religious figures carrying candles, symbols of illumination and spiritual guidance in the face of death. The cross, emblazoned on the church wall, is echoed in smaller crosses held by attendants, representing Christ's sacrifice and the hope of resurrection. These symbols are reminiscent of early Christian iconography, where the cross served as both a sacred emblem and a protective amulet, a visual echo found in mosaics and manuscripts across medieval Europe. Yet, look at the man pointing – an interruption, a dispute over land. The unceremonious moment clashes with the sacred ritual. This intrusion reminds us that even in the face of death, human conflicts persist, a stark reminder of our earthly struggles against the eternal hope embodied by the cross. It highlights the cyclical nature of history, the enduring tension between the sacred and the profane.