Gevleugelde vrouw 1528 - 1573

Etienne Delaune created this engraving, "Gevleugelde vrouw," featuring a winged figure surrounded by intricate ornamentation. Here we see images and motifs which recur throughout the history of art: winged figures that evoke not just a classical Cupid but the ethereal messengers so common in Renaissance art. These figures are not static; they evolve. Consider the early winged Victories of antiquity, so often appropriated in later symbolic imagery. The gesture of outspread arms and wings suggests not only triumph, but also a deep human longing for transcendence, a visual echo of our aspirations. These motifs persist, undergoing transformations, and reappearing in various guises, each time tinged with the cultural anxieties and aspirations of its age. It highlights our collective memory that resurfaces, reminding us of the cyclical nature of symbols and the enduring power of the human spirit.