Prent van de aangespoelde walvis bij Antwerpen, 2 juli 1577 1917 - 1919

This print, made in 1577 by A.B. van Deinse, depicts a beached whale near Antwerp, its enormous form dominating the scene as curious onlookers gather around it. The whale, a symbol of the monstrous and the unknown, has long captured the human imagination. Think of the Leviathan, a creature of chaos lurking in the depths of the sea, a motif echoing through the Old Testament and beyond. This beached whale is not merely a dead animal; it represents a disruption of natural order, a tangible manifestation of the subconscious fears and anxieties of the time. Consider also Jonah, swallowed by a whale, undergoing a symbolic death and rebirth, a potent metaphor for spiritual transformation. Here, the whale lies stranded, its power nullified, yet it continues to exert a strange fascination. The onlookers, small and insignificant beside the giant, are drawn to it, compelled by the primal allure of the immense and the unknowable. It is a spectacle that evokes both wonder and dread, a powerful symbol resonating with the collective unconscious.