Het innen van belastingen (?). 1704

This anonymous etching, likely made in 1714, depicts a scene of taxation. What immediately strikes us is the basket overflowing with goods, a visual metaphor for abundance being extracted. The image recalls the Roman goddess Annona, often depicted with a cornucopia—a horn overflowing with fruits and grains. Annona symbolized Rome’s grain supply, ensuring the city’s sustenance and stability. Here, the overflowing basket becomes a symbol of the state’s insatiable demands, a stark contrast to the earlier ideal of nurturing abundance. Consider, too, how the act of giving and taking has been portrayed throughout history. In ancient Egyptian art, pharaohs are shown receiving tribute, a symbol of their divine right to rule. Yet, in this etching, there’s a tension, a sense of unease in the extraction. This unease hints at a collective memory of times when such extraction led to social unrest. The image resonates as a cautionary reminder of the cyclical nature of power, constantly renegotiated through symbols of abundance and extraction.