Hoed van Vice-admiraal Koopman, met een kogel doorboord bij bombardement van Antwerpen c. 1800 - 1830

This hat, crafted by I.J. Froger et Fils, once belonged to Vice-Admiral Koopman and bears witness to the bombardment of Antwerp with a bullet hole clear for all to see. The hat, a symbol of authority, has been violated. But what survives? This act of preservation creates a relic that speaks of both survival and mortality. The hole evokes a primal fear, connecting us to the countless images of pierced bodies from the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian to modern-day war photography. The meaning of this symbol, the hole, has evolved from religious ecstasy to the brutal reality of conflict, passed down through history. It holds the power to shock, to unsettle, engaging us on a subconscious level with the fragility of life and the brutal spectacle of war. Thus, this hat and its hole reveal the cyclical, non-linear nature of symbols, resurfacing across time, carrying echoes of past traumas, evolving, and acquiring new meanings.