Schoorsteen West-Indische Compagnie 1650 - 1675

This is a chimney piece that is adorned with a painting of three women of the West India Company. It’s fascinating how symbols of trade and maritime power recur throughout the ages. Look at the tiles depicting ships: these symbols of navigation and commerce remind us of the Dutch Republic’s global reach. The ship as a symbol is not unique to the Dutch, of course; one need only think of the ship of state in ancient Greece. The Dutch, however, imbued the ship with a specific kind of worldly power. Consider the recurring motif of the vessel across different cultures, from Viking longboats to ancient Egyptian funerary boats carrying souls to the afterlife. There’s something profoundly primal about these images. They tug at our collective memory, conjuring feelings of adventure, exploration, and, perhaps, the darker aspects of global trade. This chimney isn't merely decorative; it is a testament to the cyclical nature of symbols, their endurance, and their capacity to evoke deep-seated emotions across generations.