Cartouche: Phineus verstoort de bruiloft van Perseus en Andromeda 1584

This print, made by Abraham de Bruyn, captures Phineus disrupting the wedding of Perseus and Andromeda. Notice the central scene, framed by elaborate ornamentation teeming with symbolic imagery. Pegasus, the winged stallion, stands prominently at the bottom, a symbol of wisdom and poetic inspiration, yet here, perhaps a nod to the swiftness of divine intervention. Above, swans—birds associated with purity and grace—flank the central scene, their presence adding a layer of ceremonial elegance marred by the chaotic struggle below. The composition itself is a study in contrasts. The ordered banquet is violently disrupted, reflecting a primal battle between order and chaos, a theme resonating across epochs, from ancient myths to modern anxieties. This struggle, played out at a wedding, evokes deep-seated fears of disrupted unions and broken social harmony. These symbols, continually resurfacing and evolving, remind us of the enduring power of images to convey humanity's deepest fears and hopes.