Kustlandschap met een zeilschip 1621 - 1672

François Collignon etched this coastal landscape with a sailboat, now in the Rijksmuseum. The sails here are more than mere nautical equipment; they are symbols of passage, commerce, and the human desire to traverse boundaries. The sail, billowing in the wind, has ancient roots. We can trace it back to the ships of antiquity. It is present in Roman frescoes, where it symbolized not just travel but also the soul's journey. This motif, charged with the collective memory of voyages, reappears in funerary art, guiding the deceased to the afterlife. The lighthouse in the background, too, holds significance. Like the Pharos of Alexandria, it’s a beacon of hope, guiding sailors through treacherous waters. In a psychoanalytic sense, the lighthouse represents guidance and the subconscious longing for safety and direction. It reminds us of our primal need for security in the face of the unknown, a universal yearning embedded deeply within our cultural psyche. Observe how Collignon integrates these ancient symbols. They echo through time, revealing humanity's enduring relationship with the sea and its timeless quest for meaning and direction.