Fabel van de geit en de jonge wolf 1567

Marcus Gheeraerts’ engraving, *Fabel van de geit en de jonge wolf*, presents us with a seemingly simple fable, yet it’s steeped in the complex social and moral landscape of the 16th century. Gheeraerts, working in a time of religious and political upheaval in the Netherlands, uses the allegorical form to explore themes of trust, deceit, and the vulnerability of innocence. Here, a goat nurses a wolf cub against the backdrop of a village, a scene pregnant with symbolism. Consider the goat, traditionally a symbol of abundance and care, juxtaposed with the wolf, an emblem of predation and danger. Gheeraerts challenges us to consider the blurred lines between these roles. What does it mean to nurture a potential threat? How does society grapple with the presence of the ‘other’? This fable resonates with the anxieties of a society grappling with issues of identity and morality. The artist invites us to reflect on our own roles within complex power dynamics, and the potential consequences of misplaced trust or naiveté.