Johannes op het eiland Patmos 1652 - 1702

This engraving depicts John on the island of Patmos, where he is traditionally believed to have written the Book of Revelation. Here, the dragon, an ancient symbol of chaos and evil, confronts the woman destined to give birth, a celestial figure surrounded by divine light. This motif of a divine being threatened by a monstrous figure resonates across cultures and epochs, appearing in ancient Mesopotamian myths, where gods battle serpentine creatures of chaos, and in Greek legends, such as the Python's pursuit of Leto. The dragon, coiled and poised, embodies primal fears and subconscious anxieties, surfacing time and again in our collective narratives. Over time, its form morphs from the serpent Apophis of Egyptian lore to the fire-breathing beasts of medieval imagination. These symbols evoke our deepest fears and hopes, revealing the cyclical nature of human experience as they resurface and evolve, constantly engaging us in a timeless dance of meaning.