Albumblad met zeven prenten met personificaties van de Vrije Kunsten, een kan en Romeinse soldaten 16th century

This album leaf, made by Balthazar van den Bos in the 16th century, presents an array of potent symbols, from personifications of the Arts to scenes of Roman soldiers. But let us focus on the ornate ewer, a vessel adorned with mythological figures and serpentine forms. The motif of the serpent, a creature of transformation and primal energy, entwines itself around the ewer, a direct descendant from the classical world. We see echoes of the serpent in the caduceus of Hermes, a symbol of healing and commerce, stretching back to ancient Greece. But here, in the hands of van den Bos, it takes on a more ornamental, almost unsettling form. This transformation speaks to the way images carry psychological weight across time. The serpent, once a sacred emblem, becomes a decorative flourish, yet it still retains a flicker of its ancient power, engaging our subconscious on a deep level. This image speaks to the cyclical nature of symbols, how they resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings, forever shaped by the currents of history and the depths of human imagination.