De toren van de Nieuwe Kerk te Delft, voor de brand van 1536 1679 - 1680

This is Abraham de Blois’s etching of the tower of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. Before the fire of 1536, its spire reached towards the heavens. The tower is more than just stone and mortar; it is a symbol of civic pride and religious devotion. The soaring verticality, reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals, speaks to humankind's eternal aspiration to transcend earthly bounds. Note the orb at the top: a universal symbol of divine completeness. This recalls the oculus of ancient Roman temples, which allowed a glimpse of the heavens, and the dome of Christian basilicas, which signified the cosmos. Over time, this archetype reappears. Consider the minarets of Islamic mosques that evoke a similar sense of longing and connection to the divine. Just as the tower strives to reach the heavens, these structures are steeped in the collective memory of spiritual yearning and divine transcendence. The image is powerful because it touches upon our shared, subconscious desire to reach something beyond ourselves. We return to these images, because they are the externalisation of an internal desire that is never linear, and forever resurfacing with new meaning.