Wreedheden door de Engelsen op St. Eustatius begaan, ca. 1782 1781 - 1782

Pieter Wagenaar II captured the "Atrocities Committed by the English on St. Eustatius" around 1782 using pen and gray ink and brush in gray. Observe the severed heads hoisted on spears; brutal displays of power that echo ancient practices. The image recalls scenes from antiquity, where conquerors flaunted the heads of the defeated. This barbaric act transcends time, reappearing in various cultures as a symbol of triumph and a warning to others. Consider the act of beheading, laden with psychological weight. It represents not just physical death but also the severing of identity, lineage, and memory. This primal fear of obliteration taps into our collective subconscious, stirring deep-seated anxieties about mortality and legacy. This symbolic representation of cruelty is not linear; it resurfaces throughout history, each time colored by new contexts, yet retaining its primal power to shock and instill fear.