Pest op het eiland Aegina 1696 - 1727

Matthijs Pool created this print titled, Pest op het eiland Aegina, at an unknown date. The scene illustrates Ovid’s account of the devastating plague on the island of Aegina, a narrative steeped in themes of suffering, death, and transformation. Pool’s print reflects the social and cultural anxieties around disease and mortality prevalent in the 17th and 18th centuries. The bodies strewn across the foreground evoke the horror and indiscriminate nature of the epidemic, while the figures in classical garb gesture towards attempts to understand and appease divine forces. The print also hints at class distinctions, as those who can are seen fleeing or attempting to aid the afflicted. The emotional resonance of Pool’s print lies in its depiction of human vulnerability in the face of overwhelming adversity, where the artist challenges us to reflect on our own experiences of loss and resilience.