Twee prijslijsten van de slangbrandspuiten, ca. 1700 1700 - 1750

This etching, made around 1700 by Jan van der Heyden, details the pricing for 'slang-brand-spuiten,' or fire hoses. The word 'slang' itself carries significant weight. In Germanic folklore, the serpent, or 'slang,' embodies both healing and chaos, a duality reflected in its use here for controlling fire. Consider the ancient symbol of the ouroboros—a serpent eating its tail—a motif seen in diverse cultures from ancient Egypt to Norse mythology. It represents cyclical renewal and the eternal return. The fire hose, named for this creature, suggests a similar cyclical action: water contained and released, a constant renewal in the face of destruction. It echoes the subconscious human desire to control natural forces, a struggle we've depicted through symbols across millennia. Just as the serpent sheds its skin, we adapt and reinvent our tools, driven by a primal need to overcome chaos. Here, the 'slang' is reborn as a tool of civic order, a testament to our unending quest to shape our world.