Bommenede ingenomen door de Spanjaarden, 1575 c. 1575 - 1578

Frans Hogenberg’s engraving captures the 1575 siege of Bommenede. Here, the walled city is under intense assault, its sturdy fortifications besieged by Spanish forces on land and sea. Notice the prominent display of cannons, their smoking mouths and round cannonballs dominating the composition. The cannon, a symbol of brute force and technological advancement, is not merely a weapon here; it’s a potent emblem of power, echoing motifs seen throughout history, from ancient siege weaponry to modern-day arms. The visceral impact of these weapons reveals humanity’s complicated relationship with violence, manifesting our primal instincts and desires for dominion. Consider the cyclical resurgence of siege imagery across time. The psychological impact of the siege—the fear, the desperation, the will to survive—these are elemental emotions etched into our collective memory. The image thus serves as a reminder of how such archetypes of conflict continue to evolve, adapt, and reappear, reflecting our timeless struggle between creation and destruction.