Ontploffen van het oorlogsschip Alphen in de haven van Curaçao, 1778 1778 - 1779

Simon Fokke etched this image of the warship Alphen exploding in Curaçao's harbor in 1778. The dominant symbol here is the ship itself, engulfed in a cataclysmic blast, a visual motif laden with historical significance. Consider the ship—a vessel, traditionally a symbol of safe passage, trade, and exploration. Here, it is transformed into an emblem of destruction, a floating pyre. This resonates with ancient myths of shipwrecks and sea monsters, a theme echoed in works like Homer's Odyssey. The motif of a ship lost at sea taps into a deep-seated fear of the unknown, of being swallowed by the vast, indifferent ocean. The image also brings to mind the cyclical nature of history. The destructive force displayed is not an end, but a brutal, transformative moment that paves the way for new beginnings. The symbol of the ship, destroyed yet immortalized in print, reminds us of the transient nature of power.