Ridder met twee honden 1893

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst made this print of a knight with two dogs. Notice the fleur-de-lis on the knight's cloak, a stylized lily. The fleur-de-lis is closely associated with French royalty, symbolizing perfection, light, and life. But this symbol has a deeper, more ancient resonance. The lily, in various forms, appears in ancient Egyptian art as a symbol of Upper Egypt and the goddess Isis. It recurs in Minoan frescoes and Mycenaean pottery, each time carrying connotations of purity and divinity. Consider how the symbol's meaning has shifted over time, from its roots in ancient religious iconography to its adoption as a heraldic emblem of power. This evolution reflects our collective, subconscious desire to link ourselves with something eternal and divine. Here it suggests the emotional connection between earthly power and the eternal realm. This image is a testament to the non-linear journey of symbols, echoing and evolving through time, revealing the emotional and cultural threads that bind us to the past.