Hoe de slangbrandspuit en pomp in het brandspuithuisje opgeborgen dienen te worden na gebruik, ca. 1750 18th century

This anonymous print from around 1750 meticulously depicts how a hose fire pump should be stored after use. What might seem merely technical reveals a deeper, more elemental struggle: humanity’s enduring battle against fire. The apparatus itself, with its coiled hoses and levers, brings to mind the Laocoön, not in agony, but coiled and constrained, awaiting release. Fire, historically, has been seen as both a destructive and purifying force. Consider Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods, empowering humanity but also dooming himself to eternal torment. Here, in this humble fire pump, we see the taming of that divine force, its containment a symbol of our mastery—or at least, our ambition to master—the chaotic elements of nature. This image reminds us that even the most practical tools carry within them the echoes of ancient myths, continuously reshaped by the human psyche across generations.