Verwelkoming van de Hollandse ambassadeur van Hoorn buiten Peking, 1667 1668 - 1670

This etching depicts the 1667 welcoming of the Dutch ambassador Van Hoorn outside Peking. We see a procession of figures, banners, and carriages set against a backdrop of the city, complete with a traditional pagoda. The pagoda, a ubiquitous symbol throughout Asia, signifies not only religious devotion but also the layered complexities of cultural exchange. These towering structures echo the ancient stupas, solid mounds that originally housed relics. Over centuries, as Buddhism spread, the stupa evolved into the pagoda, its form refined and adapted to local architectural styles, yet its core symbolism remained. Note how this structure appears in the distance, almost dreamlike, contrasting with the more solid figures in the foreground. This juxtaposition evokes a sense of the exotic and the unfamiliar, subtly reminding us of the psychological impact of encountering new cultures, where the subconscious processes of memory and anticipation play out. It’s a visual echo of the emotional weight of cultural transmission, a force that continues to shape our understanding of the world.