Maria med Jesusbarnet i vuggen og Johannes 1762 - 1765

Jens Juel rendered this ink drawing, now housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst, depicting Mary with the infant Jesus in a cradle, accompanied by John the Baptist. The iconography here is steeped in Christian tradition: Mary, the maternal figure, and the two holy infants. The image recalls earlier Renaissance paintings where such figures embodied divine love and familial sanctity. The tender cradle motif, however, transcends mere religious depiction. We see echoes of this in ancient Roman sarcophagi, where cradles symbolize the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. This symbol taps into a deep, collective memory. Consider the swaddling clothes: in medieval art, they signify not just care but also restraint, subtly foreshadowing Christ’s destiny. These recurring motifs aren’t linear; they resurface, evolve, and engage our subconscious, reminding us of the cyclical nature of human experience.