Twee portretten van een onbekende man en een vrouw en portret van een onbekende baby 1900 - 1915

This photo frame with three portraits of an unknown man and woman and a baby was crafted by Leopold Jacqmain. Imagine Jacqmain, in his studio, carefully molding the frame, embedding the images, and deciding on the floral Art Nouveau flourishes. It's like he's composing a tiny stage for these people, creating a miniature theater of life. The texture of the frame is palpable, those leaves and stems feel so tactile, almost begging to be touched. You know, looking at this piece, I think about how Jacqmain is in conversation with all the artists who’ve ever tried to capture a likeness, to freeze a moment in time. I can see how the floral motifs, in particular, resonate with other Art Nouveau artists. I wonder if he felt the weight of that tradition, or if he was just having fun, playing with form and sentiment. For Jacqmain and for us, this frame becomes more than just a container for images; it's an artifact, a portal, a space where we can meet these unknown faces and weave our own narratives around them.