Kamer voor Victoria van het Verenigd Koninkrijk in het Grand Trianon 1860 - 1880

This photograph by Ernest Eléonor Pierre Lamy captures Queen Victoria’s chamber in the Grand Trianon. Let us consider the composition: the room is neat, the furniture symmetrical, and the space still. But what of the objects themselves? Notice the clock above the fireplace, a common motif throughout history symbolizing time, mortality, and the ephemerality of life. As far back as antiquity, timepieces have served as memento mori, reminding us of our inevitable end. Yet, they also represent order, rationality, and control over our fleeting existence. Here, the clock sits above the roaring fireplace, a place for gathering that’s meant to project warmth. In this seemingly still shot, the timepiece reminds us that life goes on, time never stops, and, like the hearth, it should be embraced and not feared.