Twee zonnebloemen 1617

Here is a finely detailed engraving by Crispijn van de Passe the Younger, rendered with ink on paper, depicting two sunflowers. The sunflower, a relatively new arrival in Europe at the time, quickly became a symbol of divine love and constancy, turning its face always towards the sun, emblematic of God. Yet, the sunflower motif extends far beyond mere botanical representation. We see echoes of it in ancient solar deities, their radiant faces similarly fixed on celestial light. Consider the visual echo of the sunflower in the haloed saints of Christian iconography, their faces radiating with divine light in much the same way, or even the sun disks of ancient Egyptian gods. The sunflower, thus, becomes more than a flower; it’s a vessel carrying centuries of encoded meanings about adoration, enlightenment, and the unwavering quest for the divine. This potent imagery taps into our collective memory, stirring a deep, perhaps subconscious, recognition of humanity's enduring spiritual aspirations. As the sunflower turns, so turns the wheel of time, constantly circling back to these foundational symbols.