Beleg van Saint Martin op het Île de Ré, juli-november 1627 (tekst, deel linksboven) 1629 - 1631

This print, created anonymously, shows text within a highly stylized frame. The ornate flourishes capping the text reflect a broader cultural trend—the use of intricate decoration to convey messages of power and sophistication. Consider the acanthus leaf motif. This symbol of immortality and rebirth, derived from ancient Greek and Roman art, reappears throughout history. We find it adorning Renaissance palaces and Neoclassical monuments, each time adapted to fit the aesthetic of the era, yet retaining its core associations with enduring strength and renewal. Such motifs remind us of the collective unconscious, as Jung would say, revealing how certain images persist and evolve in the cultural psyche. It is not merely decoration; it is a silent carrier of memory, continuously shifting in meaning across epochs and cultures, a potent reminder of how we, as humans, are inextricably bound to our past.