Voorgevel van Swanenburg, gemeenlandshuis van Rijnland 1654

This is Jan Matthysz.’s rendering of the Voorgevel van Swanenburg. Note the prominent clock tower rising above the structure; the presence of time. Throughout history, towers have served as symbols of power, defense, and enlightenment. Think back to the Tower of Babel, a monument to human ambition, or the defensive towers of medieval castles, emblems of feudal authority. What then does the clock add to this symbolic tower? Here, the clock, an emblem of precision and modernity, is grafted onto the ancient symbol of the tower. It is as if the cold, rational measurement of time, disrupts and yet complements the more primeval, irrational symbolism of the tower as a whole. This juxtaposition may engage our subconscious; our collective anxieties about time, control, and mortality. The Swanenburg’s clock tower reminds us that symbols are never static, but are instead constantly evolving, accruing new layers of meaning as they pass through time.