Yan Asselyn
"The Threatening Swan," c. 1650.

More than a Dutch Golden Age animal scene, this painting became a political allegory. Originally depicting a swan defending its nest from a dog, it was later altered: the swan labeled *“Staatsman”* (referring to Johan de Witt), the egg *“Hollandia”* (the Dutch Republic), and the dog *“Vijand des Vrijstaats”*—enemy of the free state.

A rural scene turned national symbol, it was the first artwork acquired in 1800 for what became the Rijksmuseum.

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