Studies van een voet in sandaal, een hand en voeten 1672 - 1711

This is Augustinus Terwesten’s study of a foot in a sandal, a hand, and bare feet. Note the sandal, a symbol of both practicality and status in the ancient world. Sandals like these weren't merely footwear, they evoked classical antiquity, resonating with ideas of philosophy, democracy, and the aesthetic ideals of ancient Greece and Rome. We can observe the evolution of this motif in Renaissance paintings, where similar sandals appear on the feet of philosophers and mythological figures, signaling their connection to the wisdom and values of the classical world. The sandal bridges epochs, appearing, disappearing, and reappearing across art history. This echoes the cyclical nature of cultural memory, where symbols are not confined to linear progression but resurface and evolve. This humble sandal is a potent symbol of cultural continuity and the enduring allure of the past.