Oude vrouw op rug van triton naast hippocampus 1507 - 1510

Jacopo de' Barbari etched this work around the turn of the 16th century, featuring a woman riding atop a Triton, beside a hippocampus. In classical mythology, these creatures blur the boundaries between human and animal, land and sea, embodying the untamed forces of nature. Consider the caduceus hovering above: a symbol of medicine and commerce since ancient Greece. Yet, here, it floats almost menacingly over the scene. I am reminded of similar hybrid creatures appearing throughout history, from the fish-god Dagon worshipped in ancient Mesopotamia to the mermen that populate medieval folklore. The image’s emotional power lies in its depiction of primal urges and subconscious fears. The woman's aggressive pose and the creatures' ambiguous forms evoke a sense of unease, tapping into our deepest anxieties about the unknown and the untamed. The cyclical recurrence of these symbols speaks to our enduring fascination with the mysteries that lie beneath the surface of our conscious minds.