Titelkobber til Olavides 1779

This print, made by J.F. Clemens, presents us with a landscape featuring a statue, two figures, and a prominent cliff. The statue, adorned with a crown, is particularly intriguing, standing as a marker within this scene. The statue evokes archaic images of the Great Mother, a primal symbol of fertility and protection, found across cultures from ancient Crete to the Americas. Notice the wheel-like object beside it, marked with radiating lines that point to solar symbolism—linking it to deities associated with the sun and enlightenment. The sun wheel takes us back to the Bronze Age and appears across Celtic and Germanic paganism, often evolving into the Christian cross. This motif of solar power and divine femininity appears in other settings. Think of the haloed Madonna, where the radiant light signifies her spiritual status, echoing the same subconscious desire for divine protection. The journey of these symbols underscores our deep-seated need to connect with powers that transcend our mortality, and this image serves as a potent reminder of how such needs continuously resurface across history.