Zeilschip met vierkant grootzeil c. 1649 - 1656

Caspar van den Bos rendered this drawing of a square-rigged sailing ship sometime in the 17th century. The ship, cutting through the waves, carries with it the weight of centuries of maritime symbolism. Consider the ship as a vessel of the soul, a motif echoing across cultures from ancient Egypt, where funerary boats carried the dead to the afterlife, to the Viking longships, symbols of passage to Valhalla. Here, the ship is directed by a crew whose figures we can barely make out, suggesting the guiding forces of fate. The depiction of ships has morphed over time, taking on varied cultural meanings. Think of how Turner transformed the maritime scene into sublime spectacles of nature, where man is subdued by the elements. Like a dream, the image engages with our collective memory, a shared human experience across time. The ship remains a potent symbol—a bearer of souls, a bringer of fortune, and a testament to our eternal dance with the unknown.