Spotprent over de grondwetsherziening in 1886 1886

This print by Jan Holswilder, made around 1886, depicts the Dutch state as a ship run aground, laden with symbolic inscriptions. The ship of state is a classical trope, present in the collective consciousness since antiquity. Here, the vessel’s hull is plastered with terms like "CONCESSIES" and "KINDERWET" – all alluding to contentious legislative issues of the time. A figure props up the ship, desperately kissing the stern, while another struggles under the weight of "ART. 194," a proposed law. In the broader history of symbols, consider how the image of the ship appears across cultures, from ancient Egyptian barques carrying souls to the afterlife, to Christian allegories of the Church as a ship guiding believers. Over time, the ship has come to represent not just literal transport but the transport of ideas, values, and even souls. The capsized ship here speaks to a profound cultural anxiety, a fear of societal collapse. This fear, rooted in our collective memory, engages viewers on a subconscious level, stirring deep-seated emotions about stability and the future.