Tafereelen uit de geschiedenis van ons vaderland, gedurende deszelfs vereeniging met Frankrijk. julij 1810-nov. 1813 1850

This print, created by Jan Schuitemaker, depicts scenes from the Netherlands' unification with France between 1810 and 1813. Notice the recurring motif of crowds, whether welcoming French soldiers or lamenting losses. The motif of the crowd is an ancient and powerful symbol, present in Greek tragedies and Renaissance paintings alike. The crowd is a figure for collective emotion, a single body moved by joy or grief. Observe how, in one scene, men are drafted into service under Napoleon. The gesture of offering oneself, or being offered, is a motif that echoes the sacrificial rites of antiquity and the Christian narrative of sacrifice and redemption. In a way, the forced conscription recalls ancient sacrificial rites, where individuals were offered for the sake of the community. This symbol has evolved through time, and is charged with religious and secular meanings. The cycle continues, for in art as in life, nothing is ever truly new, only reborn.