Optocht door de rederijkerskamer De Haselieren uit Hazerswoude Dorp (tweede deel), 1607 1607

This print, made in 1607 by an anonymous artist, depicts a procession by the rhetoric chamber De Haselieren. Notice the tug-of-war between figures representing virtues and vices, a visual trope common in morality plays of the period. The imagery of figures pulling a rope recalls ancient battles between good and evil, a motif that stretches back to Zoroastrian depictions of the cosmic struggle. Here, the characters symbolize abstract ideas, reflecting a Renaissance interest in allegorical representation, where human forms embody complex concepts. Consider the figure of Death, holding an arrow. This is not merely a symbol of mortality but also of the transience of human endeavors, echoing the memento mori tradition. It’s a reminder of life's fleeting nature, a theme that resonates across cultures, from ancient Roman funerary art to contemporary expressions of grief. Such images speak to our collective unconscious, tapping into primal fears and hopes that transcend time. These symbolic echoes remind us that art is not merely a product of its time but a continuation of timeless human concerns.