Drie begrafenisstoeten van de slachtoffers van het oorlogsschip Alphen, 1778 1779

This 1778 engraving, by an anonymous artist, captures three funeral processions of the victims of the warship Alphen. Death, here, is not merely an end, but a spectacle, meticulously ordered into a visual representation of grief and loss. Notice the repetition of figures, marching in somber uniformity. These processions evoke ancient Roman funerary practices, where the deceased were paraded through the city to honor their memory. This act of public mourning, a potent symbol across cultures and eras, echoes in various forms from medieval triumphs to modern military parades. Consider the collective memory at play here. The ritualistic procession, passed down through generations, becomes a way to confront the chaos of death, imposing order on tragedy. The image offers an emotional outlet, as the act of mourning is not just personal but a collective expression of communal sorrow and solidarity. Death, a universal experience, transcends time and space, uniting us in our shared mortality.