Vignet op het tweede eeuwfeest van de Alteratie te Amsterdam, 1778 1778

This vignette, etched by Jan Fokke in 1778, commemorates the second centenary of the Alteration in Amsterdam. A veiled figure kneels, pouring offerings onto an altar adorned with Amsterdam's coat of arms—three crosses. On the right sits a winged figure, perhaps Father Time, holding entwined rings. Consider the recurrence of such paired rings, from ancient Roman betrothal symbols to alchemical emblems of union. The gesture of offering, too, echoes through history, from sacrificial rites in antiquity to Christian eucharistic rituals. The image delves into the deep well of human memory, tapping into our collective subconscious understanding of devotion, time, and union. Just as the act of pouring invokes sacrifice and renewal, the entwined rings speak to the cyclical nature of history, of events returning, transformed, yet still tethered to their origins. This is not merely a historical record, but a potent symbolic distillation, engaging us on an emotional level, reminding us that history is not linear, but a spiraling dance.