Duivel en een man bij een standbeeld 1609

Willem van Swanenburg created this engraving, "Devil and a Man by a Statue," which is currently held in the Rijksmuseum. Swanenburg situates us in the 17th century, a time of emerging capitalism. The artwork captures the era's unease about the pursuit of wealth, and how it might corrupt the soul. The devil, often depicted as a tempter, seems to be enabling the man's pursuit of wealth. This suggests a critique of unchecked ambition and greed. The statue of a woman, potentially representing Fortune, or perhaps Hope, is being used as a tool for accumulating money, highlighting a world turned upside down. Hope, usually a virtue, is sullied by avarice, a poignant commentary on the perversion of values. The engraving invites us to contemplate the personal cost of ambition and the societal implications of prioritizing material wealth above all else, a relevant message for any time.