Comité van Algemeen Welzijn, 1795 1795

James Gillray etched this print in 1795, portraying the Committee of Public Safety with biting satire. Above the council looms a demonic figure wielding a sword, a visual echo of the classical Furies, spirits of vengeance, repurposed here to embody the terror of the French Revolution. The shelf labeled "State Apothecary" behind the Committee is stocked with sinister remedies, alluding to the era's violent purges. The sword and chains hanging to the side act as symbols of the justice and oppression, and recall images of Nemesis, goddess of retribution, whose scales and sword were meant to ensure balance, but here, they promise only tyranny. Consider how such symbolic imagery, rooted in classical allegories, becomes refigured during the tumultuous years of revolution. The collective psyche, haunted by historical archetypes, finds new expression in Gillray’s print, capturing the era’s dark undercurrents. The emotional charge of these symbols is a powerful force, capable of engaging viewers at a deep, subconscious level. It is a non-linear progression, a cyclical return of symbols, evolving and adapting with each historical context.