Vuist van Atlasfiguur 

This is Artus Quellinus's sculpted fist of Atlas, an object that resonates with themes of power, labor, and burden, made during the Dutch Golden Age. Quellinus, situated in a society marked by burgeoning trade and colonial expansion, may have subtly critiqued the weight of empire and the individuals who bore its burdens. Atlas, in mythology, carries the world, a task of immense solitary effort. Here, the fist encapsulates the physical and emotional toll of such an endeavor. Consider the implications of a disembodied fist. What does it mean to represent labor and responsibility through this single, clenched form? The fist might symbolize resistance, the grip of control, or perhaps the sheer exhaustion of perpetual duty. It invites contemplation of the human condition, and the strength and suffering inherent in upholding societal structures.