Vaas op voetstuk 1778

This engraving by Giovanni Battista Piranesi captures an ancient vase, a relic he observed in the Villa Albani. Note the figures adorning the vase itself. These are reminiscent of maenads, the female followers of Dionysus, engaged in ecstatic dance, perhaps evoking a primal connection to nature and abandon. Below, the pedestal is guarded by sphinxes, creatures that originated in ancient Egypt and Greece, symbols of wisdom and guardianship. The sphinx, with its human head and animal body, embodies the liminal space between the rational and the instinctual. Throughout history, the image of the sphinx has morphed from a symbol of royal power to an enigmatic guardian. Its presence here speaks to our collective unconscious, where such archetypes reside, resurfacing in our art and dreams. This continuum reveals the cyclical nature of symbols, perpetually reborn across cultures.