Gezicht op een toren en het Louvre aan de Seine te Parijs 1631 - 1661

This view of a tower and the Louvre on the Seine in Paris comes to us from the hand of Israel Silvestre. Notice how the tower emerges as a dominant symbol, evoking strength and fortification. The tower as a motif stretches back to antiquity, from the Tower of Babel—a testament to human ambition and divine retribution—to the watchtowers of ancient Rome, emblems of power and control. We find them in medieval cityscapes as symbols of civic pride and military might, and later, transformed into bell towers, calling the faithful to prayer. Each iteration marks not just architectural evolution but a shift in collective aspirations. Think of the emotional weight these structures carry, reminders of our enduring need for protection and our aspirational yearning to reach new heights, literally and metaphorically. The tower’s presence here invites us to reflect on our own subconscious attraction to symbols of power, and the echoes of history resonating in our present.