Portaal van de sacristie van de Kathedraal te Bourges c. 1875 - 1900

Curator: This intriguing photograph captures the entrance to the sacristy of Bourges Cathedral. The piece is titled "Portaal van de sacristie van de Kathedraal te Bourges," it dates from around 1875 to 1900 and is held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first thought is that it has a strangely ghostly atmosphere. All those intricate Gothic details are captured with such soft focus—like a medieval dream. What's your take? Curator: Well, it is photography, a relatively new medium at the time, grappling with how to capture and represent established forms of architecture. The photograph focuses our attention to the importance of thresholds. Doorways aren’t simply practical; they mark a symbolic transition. Editor: Thresholds into other worlds. It reminds me a little of liminal spaces; this slightly blurred photo hints at mystery. I imagine secret rituals, perhaps. Do you think the photographer intended it to be viewed in this way? Curator: Hard to say definitively, of course. The Gothic style itself carried tremendous symbolic weight in the late 19th century. The pointed arches, the intricate tracery. All were revived with great intensity as emblems of order. And religious tradition, perhaps? The photograph may well be reinforcing such ideologies. Editor: A little heavy, maybe! The symmetry does make it strangely compelling, drawing you in. It makes me ponder all of the eras and the stories held in those stones… all of that human energy layered upon human energy. The symbolism is powerful, no question, but I felt my soul tickled more by the ghost of a time capsule this sepia photograph exudes! Curator: Yes, indeed. Whether viewed through a lens of symbolism, religious tradition, or individual feeling, the image has lasting appeal! Editor: Definitely makes me look at my own thresholds differently.