Octrooi verleend door de Staten van Holland en West-Friesland voor een kaart van het Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland 1687

This etching, an official patent from the States of Holland and West Friesland, was made by Romeyn de Hooghe. Swirling baroque cartouches surround the central text. Note the fish and game hanging on either side, emblems of natural bounty, and the crowning heraldic shield, symbols of authority. These motifs echo across time. The cornucopia, filled with nature's gifts, traces back to ancient depictions of abundance and prosperity, often linked to fertility gods. Heraldic crests, symbols of family lineage, evolved from medieval knightly shields to ornate expressions of identity and power. The symbolic weight of the crown, visible here, reverberates from ancient empires, where it represented divine mandate. The composition's symmetry evokes a sense of order, while the organic forms hint at the wild, untamed forces of nature. This tension—between the rational and the chaotic—mirrors the human struggle to impose control on the world. Through such symbols, we glimpse into the collective psyche of a culture. The symbols speak to a non-linear journey—their meanings evolving and resurfacing, connecting us to past visions of power and plenty.