Fragment of a Ship Flag 17th century

This aged fabric, a fragment of a ship flag made by an anonymous hand, speaks to the intertwined narratives of maritime power and cultural identity. Flags have historically acted as symbols of nations, empires, and ideologies projected across oceans, where the exchange of goods and, tragically, enslaved people occurred. Consider the labor and lives connected to this fragment: the sailors who navigated under it, the hands that sewed it, and the societies it represented on voyages of trade, exploration, and conquest. Its very form—worn, torn, and faded—suggests a history of encounters, conflicts, and transformations. The materiality of the flag embodies themes of national identity, but it also hints at the often violent intersections of cultures and economies. What stories of dominance and resistance are woven into these threads? What does it mean to reflect on this forgotten relic today?