Oproer te Den Haag, 1672 1672

This engraving, made by an anonymous artist, depicts the riot in The Hague in 1672. The central motif of conflict—a clash of bodies and weapons—resonates across cultures and eras, embodying the perpetual tension between order and chaos. Note the raised spears, a gesture mirroring the raised arms in ancient Roman battle scenes. This echoes the "furor," the madness of war that grips men. Consider, too, how the fallen figure recalls depictions of martyrs, a transformation of defeat into a symbol of higher purpose. The visual vocabulary of conflict persists: the pile of bodies as an eternal symbol of the grim consequences of civil unrest. This scene taps into a deep reservoir of collective memory, engaging us on a primal level. We are drawn into the maelstrom, feeling the echoes of past struggles. The symbol of civil unrest is not static; it evolves, accumulating new layers of meaning with each reiteration. Here, it reflects a specific historical moment, yet it also speaks to the timeless human capacity for both violence and sacrifice.