Briefkaart aan Jan Veth Possibly 1889

This is a postcard sent by Albert Verwey, an early 20th-century Dutch poet and literary critic, to Jan Veth. Postmarks and stamps, more than mere administrative markings, offer glimpses into the cultural and historical context of their time. The Dutch stamps atop this card, for example, bear the crowned heraldic Lion. The lion motif, powerful across millennia, recurs in countless cultures, from ancient Mesopotamia to medieval Europe, often symbolizing courage and royalty. But its resonance extends deeper, tapping into primal instincts: the awe and terror inspired by the wild. In ancient Egypt, the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet embodied both destructive and healing powers, reflecting humanity's complex relationship with nature's forces. This humble postcard, then, becomes a small theater wherein grand cultural symbols play out their dramas, reminding us that even mundane objects can harbor profound historical and psychological significance. It is a fragment of a larger narrative, echoing through time.