Soldaat duwt Jean-Jean waardoor hij op de kookpot valt 1825 - 1829

Auguste Raffet created this print, now at the Rijksmuseum, depicting a soldier pushing another onto a cooking pot. This seemingly simple scene is rich with symbolic resonance. The act of pushing, a forceful imposition of one's will upon another, evokes primal themes of dominance and vulnerability. We see echoes of this gesture across epochs. Consider the Roman soldiers depicted in ancient reliefs, their actions shaping the destinies of conquered peoples, or even Cain's murder of Abel, a primordial act of aggression with lasting symbolic weight. The cooking pot itself takes on symbolic weight. In alchemy, the cauldron transforms base metals into gold; here, it becomes a crucible of suffering, a vessel of potential agony. The victim's raised hand could be traced back to gestures of supplication found in ancient Roman art. These motifs, deeply embedded in the collective consciousness, touch upon fundamental aspects of the human condition, reminding us of the cyclical nature of conflict and suffering.