Sibille van Samos 1688

Romeyn de Hooghe etched this image of the Sibyl of Samos, capturing her in a moment of prophetic contemplation. Notice the lyre, symbol of harmony and divine inspiration, resting against the open book of prophecies. The lyre’s presence evokes Apollo, the god of music and prophecy. This connection stretches back to ancient Greece, where music and divination were intertwined, expressing a longing to understand the unseen. This yearning has since reappeared in countless forms, from medieval troubadours to modern-day poets, each seeking to capture the elusive harmony of the cosmos. Consider the book, a repository of knowledge but also a symbol of the hidden. Throughout history, from the sacred texts of antiquity to the occult grimoires of the Renaissance, the book signifies the human desire to decipher the mysteries of existence. The act of reading, therefore, becomes a ritual, a quest to unlock the secrets embedded within the symbolic language of the world. This same compulsion remains a powerful, subconscious force driving our endless search for meaning. We return to these symbols, generation after generation, in our attempt to understand the self.