View on the Tagus n.d.

William Havell crafted this watercolor, View on the Tagus, capturing the essence of the Tagus River with its array of boats set against a backdrop of distant architecture. The boats, symbols of passage and trade, immediately draw our attention. Consider the symbolic weight of the ship across cultures. In ancient Egypt, solar barques carried pharaohs to the afterlife, while in Greek mythology, ships like the Argo symbolized heroic quests. Here, in Havell's work, the boats suggest not only commerce but also a journey, perhaps even a personal odyssey of the figures they carry. The Tagus River, with its calm surface, creates a mirror effect, blurring the boundary between the real and the reflected. This invites us to delve into the deeper currents of history and memory, to see how symbols like the ship evolve, carrying new meanings as they sail through time.