Vrouw met slapend kind 1828 - 1838

This work by Ephraïm Conquy presents us with a scene of a woman holding a sleeping child. The veil suggests a Madonna-like figure, echoing centuries of religious iconography. The tender embrace resonates with earlier depictions of the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus, like those of Raphael, where the mother-child bond symbolizes love and protection. This motif transcends religious art; we see it echoed in secular contexts, representing nurturing and maternal care. Consider the shift: from divine representation to universal human experience. Even in ancient Egyptian art, Isis cradling Horus embodies similar protective, maternal instincts. The persistent appearance of this motif reveals a deep, psychological need to see and celebrate the primal bond between mother and child. This recurs again and again, a continuous thread in the tapestry of human expression.