A Fine Beast on a Facade...

As I come back home on the same old route, stuck in the traffic going in the opposite direction to the morning trip, I likewise look out at the now-familiar sights in the city landscape. Nevertheless, a few little gems appear to have escaped my attention and the architectural feature above is a perfect case in point!

This beautiful sculpted ram adorns one of the buildings that apparently survived the wartime hostilities in the Great War (1914-1918). I think it probably dates back to the last decades of the 19th century. And what a magnificent beast this is and what a precious specimen of discreet facade decoration! For all its finery, this feature is below a balcony and therefore not immediately visible. The ram therefore gazes down on all passersby, surrounded by oak leaves - presumably signifying stability and endurance and acorns for renewal and new beginnings - perhaps a reference to the years following the Franco-Prussian war of 1870- 71. Like the lion (and the Lion of Belfort), the ram symbolises strength and bravery... The past meaning is largely lost on us today, for those who even notice the very existence of the fine sculpted creature above, and I do feel sadness that today's buildings are devoid of any will to decorate their bland facades in any interesting manner or to send out any kind of message, except that of modernity. But today's modern is soon a has-been for tomorrow...