The Reception of Cornelis Hop (1685-1762) as Legate of the States-General at the Court of Louis XV, 24 July 1719 1720s

Louis-Michel Dumesnil captured in oil the moment Cornelis Hop was received as Legate at the court of Louis XV in 1719. The mural on the back wall looms large, featuring Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, holding his trident. Neptune's trident is particularly striking. In antiquity, it symbolized power over the seas, but even earlier it was the thunderbolt of Zeus. This symbol migrated across cultures, representing different facets of authority and force, shifting from divine dominion to the control of earthly domains. Consider, too, how the trident appears in religious and mythological contexts. This symbol transcends mere representation, engaging our collective memory and subconscious associations. The persistent reappearance of such symbols across time speaks to the cyclical nature of history and the enduring power of images to evoke fundamental aspects of human experience.