Ramen van het Vleeshuis in Antwerpen, België before 1887

This image presents the windows of the Vleeshuis in Antwerp, erected by the butchers' guild. The building showcases late Gothic architecture, but within its stone tracery, certain archetypal forms echo through time. Consider the quatrefoil motif—a four-lobed design, reminiscent of a flower or a cross. In Christian symbolism, the cross is the ultimate symbol of salvation, but here, in the Vleeshuis, it suggests something more earthly. Quatrefoils, like roses, have long been associated with earthly love and pleasure. It is a symbol that undergoes constant metamorphoses, from sacred to profane and back again. Such shifts reflect a collective memory, the subconscious forces at play in artistic expression. The enduring presence of these symbols reminds us that nothing is ever truly new, but rather a re-emergence of ancient impulses. An emotional tension persists within the image, a silent echo of ritual and belief.