Allegorie op de komst van de Prins van Oranje naar Engeland, 1688 1688 - 1689

Romeyn de Hooghe etched this allegory celebrating William of Orange's arrival in England in 1688. Note the caduceus, the staff entwined with two snakes, offered to William, a symbol laden with layers of meaning. Originally associated with Hermes, the messenger of the gods, it represents commerce, negotiation, and safe passage, often used in contexts requiring diplomacy and communication. But its connection to medicine, arising from its resemblance to the staff of Asclepius, introduces a layer of healing and restoration. Consider the serpent, a creature of potent symbolic weight throughout history, shedding its skin, becoming the emblem of renewal and transformation. This motif can be traced back to ancient Greece, and further to ancient Near East where the serpent was related to healing rituals. The caduceus here is a potent symbol for William's arrival, promising not only safe passage and diplomatic solutions but also the restoration of order, hinting at the emotional and cultural wounds that needed to be healed. Through this, we perceive how symbols evolve through time, carrying echoes of the past into the present.