Aartsengel Michaël en de draak 1629

Christoffel van Sichem II created this woodcut of the Archangel Michael and the Dragon sometime in the 17th century. Here, Michael, wings spread, vanquishes the dragon, a symbol of chaos and evil. This motif of a divine figure defeating a monstrous beast echoes through millennia, seen in ancient Mesopotamian art with gods like Marduk battling Tiamat, a primordial sea serpent. What threads connect these images across time? Perhaps a deep-seated human need to see order triumph over chaos, a visual representation of our own internal struggles. The dragon itself evolves. From a symbol of strength and good fortune in the East, to a creature of darkness in the West, its transformations are a testament to how cultural memory shapes and reshapes potent symbols. This image, therefore, is not just a depiction of a biblical battle. It is a node in a vast network of symbols, constantly reinterpreted, reflecting our ever-evolving anxieties and aspirations.