Triomfwagen met stroomgod, getrokken door twee saters 1550

This small, undated engraving, held at the Rijksmuseum, depicts a triumphal chariot bearing a river god. We don’t know the artist, but the elaborate scene evokes a world of classical learning and mythological fantasy. These kinds of prints circulated widely in the Netherlands and beyond. Combining visual codes from classical antiquity with a Northern European sensibility, the image speaks to the social conditions that valued erudition and a humanist interest in the natural world. The satyrs drawing the chariot and the various creatures populating the scene suggest a fascination with the wild, untamed aspects of nature. The river god himself, reclining amidst foliage, embodies the generative power of the natural world. To fully understand this image, we might consult emblem books and iconographic handbooks popular at the time. These texts reveal the meanings that early modern viewers attached to such figures and scenes. This engraving is more than just a pretty picture; it's a window into the cultural values of its time.