Gipsmodellen voor beeldhouwwerken op het Palais du Louvre: links "L'Automne" door François Truphème en rechts "La Chasse" Alexandre Schoenewerk c. 1855 - 1857

This photograph by Edouard Baldus captures plaster models for sculptures on the Palais du Louvre. Plaster is an interesting material, isn't it? It's relatively inexpensive, and easy to work. Sculptors often use it to create preliminary models, like the ones seen here, before committing to more costly and permanent materials like marble or bronze. What is depicted here are not the sculptures themselves, but the intermediary stages in their creation, the hand-worked models by François Truphème and Alexandre Schoenewerk. These plaster models allowed the artists to experiment with form and composition, working out their ideas in three dimensions. They are, in a sense, records of the artist's process, tangible evidence of their labor and skill. The softness of the material also captures a certain texture and form. Baldus’s photograph freezes these ephemeral models in time. It reminds us that even the most monumental artworks often begin with humble materials and processes, blurring the lines between fine art and craft.