Pijlstaartrog c. 1901

This is Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof’s sketch of a stingray, carefully rendered in pencil. Consider the stingray itself—an ancient form, gliding through the depths, its flat body almost like a submerged wing. We see echoes of this shape across cultures, from the protective deities of the sea to the dragons of the sky. Think of the dragon, that potent symbol of power and chaos. Its form, like the stingray, merges fluidity and strength. The stingray, less fearsome, yet carries this deep-seated, primeval energy. Throughout history, animals have been imbued with symbolic meanings. The stingray, with its otherworldly form, becomes a vessel for these primal feelings, echoing in our collective unconscious. Its presence here touches something ancient within us, a link to the mysteries of the deep. The image has an emotional resonance, engaging viewers on a subconscious level with feelings of awe, or fear. This is the cyclical progression of symbols, evolving and resurfacing to take on new meanings.