Brand op de Oude Schans te Amsterdam, 1658 1690 - 1735

Jan van der Heyden etched the ‘Brand op de Oude Schans te Amsterdam’ in 1658, an image dominated by the visceral symbol of fire. Fire, in its destructive power, has long held symbolic weight, a motif that speaks to purification but also chaos. Here, the towering flames consuming Amsterdam invoke not only physical destruction but perhaps deeper societal anxieties. In ancient Greece, fire was seen as a divine force, linked to both creation and annihilation, a duality echoed in the Old Testament’s tales of divine retribution. Consider its reappearance in paintings of hell or purgatory, where flames signify spiritual cleansing through torment. The collective memory of such potent imagery imbues this etching with a sense of impending doom, tapping into a primal fear that transcends time. The emotional intensity of the scene—the figures writhing, the buildings collapsing—engages viewers on a subconscious level, echoing humanity's long fascination with destruction.