Jan Asselijn the threatened swan 1640
Today I was working outside and heard the approaching sound of loud sweeping wings. I looked up and saw two swans flying by. The couple was ascending from the creek nearby. It was an impressive sight. The swan is a monogamous animal. A couple stays together for life. When I lived in Leyden a couple of swans every year returned to the same nest in the canal in front of my house. The male swan defended his nest ferociously against curious people and dogs. Just like the swan on the painting above. Jan Asselijn painted it in 1640. Later the text on the egg( "Holland") and near the head of the dog ("the enemy of the state") was added. The addition had a political meaning. The swan stands for Johan de Witt, the republican leader of the Netherlands who defended the Dutch Republic against many enemies in the second half of the 17teenth century. De Witt represented the wealthy merchant class and opposed the access to power of Prince Willem III of Orange, who strived for the position of military leader of the Netherlands. Johan de Witt lost this battle. In 1672 he was lynched - together with his brother - by an organized mob of Orangists. Their bodies were torn apart. (see upper left) The prince of Orange (see left) took over power and later also became king of England (King William III). He was a shrewd man who started his career as a fatherless child, was educated by his republican opponents, married the daughter of the English king and finally outmaneuvered the Dutch republicans as well as his English royal family in-law. During his entire life he endeavored to reduce the power of France in Europe. King Louis XIV of France called him "my mortal enemy".