Verovering van Coevorden op 30 december 1672 1673

This is Romeyn de Hooghe’s engraving, created around 1672, depicting the ‘Conquest of Coevorden.’ The scene is dominated by the clash of armies, a dynamic tableau vivant marked by the presence of raised ladders, billowing smoke, and the assertive banners of war. Banners, since antiquity, have symbolized power and territorial claim. Here, they surge above the fray, much like the labarum of Constantine or the vexillum of Roman legions. Note how these emblems are not static; they are caught in the tempest of conflict, evoking a visceral response – a primal memory of tribal conflict and dominance. Even the ladders, simple as they seem, echo the 'Storming of the Heavens,' a motif found in ancient mythologies, symbolizing an audacious attempt to breach divine or fortified boundaries. This eternal struggle between aspiration and limitation stirs within us, connecting the 17th-century battlefield to the archaic landscapes of our collective unconscious.