Kalenderblad november met meerkoet op een paal 1916

This is Theo van Hoytema's November calendar page, a lithograph now held in the Rijksmuseum. Observe how the moorhen dominates the upper register, perched high like a sentinel. In ancient augury, the appearance and behavior of birds were critical for discerning divine will. Consider the enduring motif of the watchful bird; it is ever-present across cultures. Think of the owl of Greek mythology, a symbol of Athena's wisdom, or the raven, a psychopomp in Celtic lore, guiding souls to the afterlife. This calendar moorhen shares a lineage with these ancient symbols, embodying vigilance and foresight. But the moorhen is also humble. It reminds us of the cyclical return of nature—a force that quietly, yet powerfully, persists. It invites us to reflect on how symbols like birds evolve and persist in our collective consciousness, echoing through art, myth, and our deepest anxieties and hopes.