Een tekenaar bij het beeld van de Tiber (Marforio) 1677

This print shows an artist sketching the statue of the river god Tiber, made by an anonymous artist. The Tiber embodies Rome's lifeblood, its civilization, and its destiny. Here, the reclining pose is reminiscent of ancient sarcophagi, symbolizing the enduring flow of time and the river's eternal presence. We find echoes of this classical form in the Renaissance, a revival of ancient ideals, and even later in modern art, revealing humanity's ongoing dialogue with its past. Note that the figure’s broken arm and weathered body serve as a melancholic reminder of the inevitable decay of all things, even powerful empires. This motif transcends time, appearing in various forms throughout art history to evoke feelings of loss and the passage of time. The image engages our collective memory and taps into subconscious anxieties about mortality. It is a stark reminder that even the mightiest rivers and empires are subject to time.