OVERVIEW

At the center of the composition is a figure clad in a blue ceremonial robe with a hood, holding up in both hands two mysterious objects resembling artifacts unearthed during excavations in France and Southeast Asia. Surrounding the central figure is a crowd of individuals dressed in red robes — their arms extended toward the central figure in a gesture that may suggest worship, ritual, or pleading.

The scene unfolds within a peculiar, monumental interior that evokes the feeling of an ancient temple or subterranean hall. In the background, torch flames flicker, and silhouettes can be seen — one of which may represent a horse, possibly indicating a ritual procession or escape. Above the entire scene stretches a dark gray sky, lending the painting an apocalyptic atmosphere.

Painting in the Palace of Fontainebleau

A sketch found by Cadieux in an old book

Digital painting reconstruction

MEANING

Some researchers suggest that the setting portrayed in the painting may be an idealized vision of a city located within the Son Doong cave, linking the artwork to other discoveries made in Asia. Elements present in the painting show striking similarities to carvings and ornamental features associated with the so-called Walker civilization — a hypothetical ancient culture of undetermined chronology that remains the focus of ongoing investigation.