Natuurlijke geschiedenis 1861 - 1929

This print of natural history, made by Albertus Willem Sijthoff, presents a collection of animals, each carrying its own symbolic weight. Consider the snake. Here we find it, as in the Garden of Eden, coiled and subtly menacing, a symbol of primal instinct. It reappears through time: in ancient Egypt, as the protective uraeus on the brow of pharaohs, or the Greek caduceus. The snake sheds its skin, a symbol of death and rebirth. This image touches upon our deepest fears and desires, resonating with the collective unconscious. The image of the snake is charged with psychological tension: the fear of the unknown, the allure of forbidden knowledge. Across centuries, the symbol of the snake has slithered through our cultural memory. It’s non-linear and cyclical, resurfacing in myriad forms, each imbued with the shifting anxieties and aspirations of the age.