Gezicht op haven van Arakan 1685 - 1714

This detailed etching, "Gezicht op haven van Arakan," by Thomas Doesburgh, captures a bustling harbor scene. Ships stand tall on the water, bearing flags that signal trade and connection to distant lands. Consider the palm tree, a recurring motif throughout the image, laden with symbolic weight. Once a symbol of victory and peace in ancient cultures, evoking images of fertility and paradise, it appears here in a context laden with colonial exchange. The tree has transformed, now signifying exotic lands open for exploitation, a signifier of the ‘Orient’ for European eyes. Just as the serpent entwined around the Tree of Knowledge embodies the Fall in Christian tradition, so too can this palm tree symbolize the loss of innocence that comes with colonial expansion. These images are passed down not only through direct transmission, but through our collective unconscious. The scene evokes an emotional and psychological landscape of curiosity, desire, and perhaps, an unspoken anxiety regarding distant worlds. And so, the palm tree motif completes its cycle: from a symbol of paradise to a marker of colonial ambition. The images of paradise are revisited, re-contextualized, and re-projected across cultural boundaries, revealing how our collective memories constantly reshape and redefine our present.