Gezicht op het Rapenburg te Leiden vanaf de Groenebrug, 1807 1807

Hermanus Numan created this ink drawing in 1807, offering us a view of the Rapenburg canal in Leiden from the Groenebrug. Notice how the trees that line the canal are bare, their branches reaching skyward. These bare branches evoke a sense of transition, a motif found across cultures and eras, from ancient fertility rites to modern psychological interpretations of nature. Trees, with their roots deep in the earth and branches in the sky, have long symbolized the connection between the earthly and the divine. But here, stripped bare, they also echo cycles of death and rebirth. Think of the "arbor mortis," the tree of death in medieval art, often depicted with skeletal branches. The image invites reflection on the cyclical nature of time, the persistence of symbols, and their power to resonate through collective memory.