Schepping van het uitspansel Possibly 1700 - 1717

"Schepping van het uitspansel," or "Creation of the Firmament," was created in the late 17th or early 18th century by Herman Coets. It represents a worldview deeply entrenched in religious doctrine; the firmament, a solid structure believed to separate the waters above from the earth. The angels floating around the sphere are cherubs, often interpreted as symbols of divine presence. This image is a visual representation of a time when faith and scientific understanding were intertwined, and the world was viewed through the lens of religious belief. The emotional weight of this piece is that of humanity's quest to understand its place in the universe, its reflection of a time when the cosmos was a divine mystery rather than a scientific one. The firmament is not just a physical barrier, but a metaphorical boundary between the known and the unknown, the earthly and the divine. It is the literal expression of faith and reason.