Gezicht op de burcht Frankenberg(?) 1610 - 1628

This delicate drawing of Frankenberg Castle, created by Gerard van der Horst, captures more than just a place. It invokes the enduring human quest for security and elevation. The castle, perched atop a hill, echoes the ancient symbol of the high place, a motif that stretches back to the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Across cultures, such elevated structures represent not only physical dominance but also spiritual aspiration, a link between the earthly and the divine. Consider how castles appear throughout medieval tapestries and illuminated manuscripts, always embodying a sense of longing for protection and stability. This quest resurfaces time and again, even in our modern skyscrapers, which still echo the primal need to rise above, to survey and control. In our collective memory, these structures tap into subconscious desires for safety and order, a psychological bulwark against the uncertainties of existence. Van der Horst's drawing thus becomes a timeless mirror reflecting our ever-present yearning for both physical and spiritual high ground.