Gezicht op de tuin en de achtergevel het Corvershof te Amsterdam 1723 - 1748

This engraving captures the Corvershof in Amsterdam, rendered by Jan Smit. The boats on the canal invite us to consider the journey, a motif laden with symbolic weight. Throughout history, water has represented the subconscious, the flow of life, and the passage of time, think of the boat in the odyssey. The boats in this image echo those themes, carrying people along the currents of existence. Consider the birds in flight overhead, their arrangement and upward direction mirroring the journey toward transcendence. Birds are symbolic of freedom, the soul, and spiritual aspiration, and echo through artistic representations across cultures. This visual language taps into our collective memories, stirring subconscious feelings of longing and reflection. In this setting, the Corvershof appears as a safe haven to which to return.