Een kroning c. 1663 - 1695

Christiaan Hagen etched this coronation scene sometime in the 17th century. Observe the kneeling figure before the newly crowned monarch; this prostration is no mere act of fealty. Consider, the ritual of kneeling has roots stretching back to ancient supplication, a gesture laden with submission to deities. In antiquity, this posture conveyed vulnerability and reverence, an appeal to higher powers for mercy or favor. Yet, how intriguing that it resurfaces here, in a secular rite of power. In medieval times, kneeling became entwined with oaths of fealty, symbolizing a vassal's pledge to his lord. Hagen's coronation scene thus echoes these historical reverberations. Such symbolic gestures are vessels brimming with cultural memory, engaging us on a subconscious level. These symbols are powerful forces in their own right, traversing centuries, evolving, and adapting, thus carrying and conveying cultural memory.