"Thirteen at the Table" from The Complete Works of Béranger 1836

Here is a lithograph titled "Thirteen at the Table" by J.J. Grandville. The scene, rendered with meticulous detail, depicts a gathering of thirteen individuals around a table. The number thirteen itself carries a heavy symbolic weight, often associated with misfortune. We can trace this superstition back through the ages. A similar gathering, the Last Supper, forever linked thirteen at table with betrayal and doom. See how the collective unconscious, the shared reservoir of human experience, imprints itself on our cultural psyche! Even here, Grandville subtly invokes a sense of unease, perhaps playing on our innate anxieties surrounding this ominous number. This print engages us on a visceral level, tapping into deep-seated fears and apprehensions. The symbol of the unlucky thirteen, far from being a mere numerical value, has become a potent cultural artifact that continues to haunt our imagination. It is not the end of the cycle. Rather, the image resurfaces with renewed vigor.