Kaart van de Zuidelijke Nederlanden 1683 - 1709

This is an anonymous map of the Southern Netherlands, a tableau of land and power etched onto paper. Note the figures adorning the top and bottom. At the top left, classical figures stand guard over a cartouche declaring the region, while at the bottom, more figures attend to a coat of arms. These are not mere decorations; they invoke a lineage of authority, echoing the ancient Roman concept of "genius loci"—the spirit of a place. Such allegorical figures are a recurring motif throughout art history, from the draped figures on Greek vases to the personifications of virtues in Renaissance painting. They represent an attempt to give tangible form to abstract ideas, tapping into a collective cultural memory. These images linger in the mind’s eye, resurfacing in unexpected contexts, each time subtly transformed by the concerns and anxieties of a new era. They are palimpsests of cultural memory, revealing the enduring power of symbols to shape our understanding of the world.