Spaanse Furie: stadhuis in brand, 1576 c. 1576 - 1579

This engraving by Frans Hogenberg depicts the burning of the town hall during the Spanish Fury in 1576. The dominant symbol here is, of course, fire, consuming the architecture and the city itself. Fire has long represented both destruction and purification. Think of the classical elements, where fire transforms and devours. It is no wonder the alchemists saw in it a symbol of the soul’s transformation through suffering. But fire as a destructive force has a long history, think of the burning of Troy, or Nero’s Rome. These images tap into a primal fear, etched in our collective memory. The chaos of the scene, the violent clash of figures, echoes across time. One can see parallels in depictions of the Sack of Rome or even the horrors of war captured by Goya, where humanity descends into savagery. This image, like those, leaves us with a deep unease, as the cycle of violence continues to resurface.