De Amersfoortse Steentrekking, 1661 1661

This engraving, made anonymously in 1661, depicts the "Steentrekking" of Amersfoort, a historical event where a large stone was dragged into the city. The dominant symbol is the massive stone itself, a raw, unworked object being transported. Stones, in art and myth, often represent foundations, strength, or even the prima materia from which all things are created. Yet, this stone is also a spectacle, a communal effort turned into a carnivalesque event, suggesting a more complex interplay of civic pride and ritualistic display. Think of the ancient Egyptian pyramids, built of precisely-cut stone, or the Greek myths of foundational stones, the omphalos at Delphi, symbols of order and stability, in contrast to the chaotic nature represented in this artwork. Here, the collective memory and subconscious desires of the community are physically manifested in the stone’s journey. The emotional power of communal effort, the shared labor, engages the viewer on a deep, subconscious level, a testament to the cyclical progression of symbols and the emotional weight they carry across time.