Kop van een bok 1847 - 1899

Jacob Maris etched this small plate titled 'Head of a Goat', imbuing the animal's visage with an intriguing presence. The goat, with its formidable horns and beard, carries a rich symbolic weight. Throughout history, the goat has appeared as a figure of both virility and the demonic. Think of Pan from ancient Greece, a god of the wild, half-man, half-goat, embodying untamed nature. Yet, this very same image finds its counterpart in the Christian demonology, where the goat is often associated with the devil. This duality is not a contradiction but a reflection of the complex human psyche, where primal instincts are both celebrated and feared. Maris, perhaps unconsciously, taps into this collective memory, presenting us with a goat that is neither purely benign nor malevolent, but rather a potent symbol of the raw, untamed forces that dwell within us all. The goat's intense gaze may thus be seen as an externalization of the inner self, a projection of our own subconscious drives and desires.