Twee gezichten op de ruïne van Kasteel Byland, 1735 1761 - 1792

Paulus van Liender created this print of two views of the Byland Castle ruin in 1735. The castle, a symbol of power and resilience, evokes a sense of both grandeur and decay. It’s a motif that recurs throughout history. Consider the Tower of Babel, or the Coliseum in Rome, which represent human ambition and the inevitable passage of time. Even the image of the ‘ship of fools’ became a symbol for societal decay. The ruin is a potent symbol, and reminds us that all things, no matter how strong, are subject to decline. Here, the castle's state of disrepair mirrors the transience of human achievement, echoing the psychological tension between aspiration and the stark reality of mortality. This cyclical progression of construction, zenith, decline, and collapse is a timeless narrative, continually resurfacing throughout our cultural memory.