Ruïnes van het paleis van Saint-Cloud nabij Parijs tijdens de Commune van Parijs in 1871 1871

Charles Dauvois captured this stereoscopic image of the ruins of the Palace of Saint-Cloud near Paris in 1871. The skeletal remains of the palace speak volumes, a potent symbol of the ephemerality of power and the cyclical nature of destruction and rebirth. Consider the motif of ruins throughout art history: from Piranesi's etchings of Roman antiquities to Romantic paintings depicting crumbling castles. These images evoke a sense of melancholy but also a recognition of the transience of human achievement. Here, the ruined Palace of Saint-Cloud, once a symbol of imperial grandeur, lays in desolation. This destruction echoes the ancient symbol of the 'Uroboros' or snake eating its tail – destruction is intrinsically linked to renewal. The bombed-out palace is not just an end, but also the harbinger of a new beginning. A potent reminder that history is not linear but a continuous cycle of creation, destruction, and recreation.