Illustratie voor 'Den Arbeid van Mars' van Allain Manesson Mallet 1672

This illustration by Romeyn de Hooghe, crafted around 1700, visualizes Allain Manesson Mallet’s treatise on military architecture. At its heart lies the heptagon, an architectural blueprint meant to protect. Below, two figures clash in a sword fight, their aggression symbolizing the ever-present human impulse towards conflict and violence. The heptagon, with its seven sides, emerges from ancient desires to impose order on chaos. This geometrical form echoes in city plans throughout history, from Renaissance fortresses to modern urban designs, always embodying our collective aspiration for security. And yet, consider the sword fight: this motif recurs across epochs, evoking gladiatorial combat, medieval duels, and beyond. Each iteration reflects the shifting codes of honor and engagement, all while remaining rooted in primal combat. The image embodies a tension, a dialectic between our rational pursuit of geometric perfection and the irrational forces of human nature. In this struggle, De Hooghe invites us to recognize the eternal dance between order and chaos within ourselves.