Les deux amis 

This print, of unknown origin, depicts an intimate scene among three figures draped in classical garb. The gesture of hand-holding, central to the composition, carries a powerful message of unity and accord. Consider how this motif appears elsewhere. Think of the Roman custom of "dextrarum junctio," where clasped hands symbolized marital agreement, or its echo in countless images of friendship and alliance throughout history. Yet, here, the addition of a third figure introduces a complex emotional dynamic. The seated man’s expression, combined with the ambiguous connection between the standing pair, evokes a sense of unease. Might the image be tapping into a deeper, subconscious fear of betrayal or exclusion? Such universal anxieties are perpetually being played out, re-emerging across cultures in varied forms. This is the essence of cultural memory: ancient gestures and symbols persisting through time, continually reshaped by new experiences, carrying echoes of past emotions and meanings into the present.