Spaanse Furie: stadhuis in brand, 1576 1613 - 1615

This print, made in 1576 by an anonymous artist, depicts the burning of the Antwerp City Hall. Flames engulf the building as chaos unfolds in the square. Note the recurring motif of violence: the act of arson, the soldiers' weapons, and the bodies strewn across the square. The use of fire connects to ancient symbols of destruction, purification, and transformation that goes back to the classical era. Consider the figure of Empedocles throwing himself into Mount Etna in Sicily as a sign of his godliness and, simultaneously, as a sign of death. The burning building resonates with the ancient theme of the "transience of worldly things," or Vanitas. The sack of Antwerp became deeply embedded in the collective memory of the Dutch people. This image, and others like it, served as a potent reminder of the atrocities committed. These violent events have become cyclical, recurring in different times and places, each time carrying the weight of past traumas. The image engages viewers on a subconscious level, tapping into deep-seated fears and anxieties about violence and destruction.