Rome door de Faam gekroond 1629

Pieter Serwouters created this artwork, Rome door de Faam gekroond, as an etching. Here, Rome is crowned by Fame, atop a pedestal that is adorned with symbols of Roman power and myth. The she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus at the base evokes Rome’s legendary founding. Above, the winged figure of Fame bestows a laurel wreath, a classical symbol of victory and honor, upon a seated, helmeted personification of Rome. Note how the laurel wreaths of antiquity have appeared on emperors and poets alike, from ancient busts to Renaissance paintings. Consider the Fasces, an ancient Roman emblem of power. These bundles of rods bound around an ax, signify authority and unity. They appear here as a symbol of law and governance. The Roman's fascination with the eagle – symbol of the Roman army – dates back to 104 BC and the Marian reforms when it was instated as the prime symbol of Roman power. But why, then, does it carry this deep-seated emotional weight? Perhaps, like the fasces, it elicits unconscious associations with ancient power structures. Observe how these images echo through time, resonating in different contexts, a testament to our enduring engagement with the past.