Gevechten bij Soothia (China), 1662 1670

This is an anonymous engraving from 1662 depicting naval battles near Soothia, China. Note the ships, symbols of trade and conflict, their sails billowing with intent. Vessels like these appear throughout history, from Viking longships to Spanish galleons, each carrying cultural and economic cargo. The scene is one of controlled chaos: the orderly arrangement of ships juxtaposed with the implied violence. Consider how the symbol of a ship has evolved; once a vessel for exploration and trade, it becomes, here, an instrument of war, a transformation that reflects humanity's complex relationship with progress and destruction. Like the serpent of ancient myth, which sheds its skin to emerge anew, the ship takes on different forms and meanings, reflecting our ever-changing fears and desires. This image, like a dream, speaks to our collective memory, evoking the timeless drama of human ambition.