Gezicht op Middelburg, bestaande uit vier delen 1616 - 1679

François Schillemans crafted this four-part view of Middelburg using engraving, a technique that etches details into our memory as surely as into the metal plate. Above each outer panel, a coat of arms floats, emblems of power and identity. These are not mere decorations; they are containers of collective memory, symbols that once rallied armies and defined allegiances. Observe how such heraldic devices echo across centuries, from medieval tapestries to modern logos, each iteration a palimpsest of history. Consider, too, the city itself, rendered with such meticulous care. Cities, like images, are never static. They evolve, crumble, and are rebuilt, each layer adding to the collective unconscious. The presence of such imagery reveals our primal need to map and claim our territory, a psychological impulse as old as civilization itself. These images act as powerful anchors, connecting us to the past even as we navigate the ever-changing present.