Beleg van Bergen op Zoom, 1747 1747

Elias Baeck's etching from 1747, titled "Siege of Bergen op Zoom," presents a bird's-eye view of the besieged city, complete with fortifications and troops. Yet, look to the upper right and you will notice a winged figure blowing a trumpet. This figure recalls the classical motif of Fame, a symbol prevalent since antiquity. We see her echoed in countless Renaissance paintings, proclaiming victories and heralding important events. But here, her presence is tinged with irony. Bergen op Zoom ultimately fell to the French, making her trumpet call a somewhat hollow boast. Consider, too, the psychological impact of such imagery during wartime. The evocation of Fame serves as a potent propaganda tool, stirring feelings of patriotism while masking the grim realities of conflict. Like the serpent biting its own tail, the cyclical nature of war and the symbols that accompany it reveal a deeper, unending human drama. In the end, Fame's song transforms into a lament for what is lost.