De soldaten van Farao worden verzwolgen door de Rode Zee 1655 - 1708

Romeyn de Hooghe created this etching depicting ‘The soldiers of Pharaoh swallowed by the Red Sea’. Look at the sea becoming a violent vortex, swallowing Pharaoh's army. The drowning motif is a powerful symbol, recurring throughout art history. Consider ancient Roman sarcophagi depicting shipwrecks or the Old Testament flood. Death by water represents chaos, loss of control, and divine punishment. But it’s more than a warning. In the collective psyche, water is also associated with cleansing and rebirth. The Red Sea's cataclysm echoes older myths—primeval floods that wiped the earth clean. Here, the Red Sea is not just a divider but a destroyer, mirroring the subconscious fear of being overwhelmed by the unknown. This image taps into a primal dread, seen across cultures. The cyclical nature of destruction and renewal ensures this scene will be revisited time and again, each iteration colored by new fears and hopes.