Borstbeeld van een drinkende vrouw met hoofddoek 1756 - 1817

Louis Bernard Coclers captured this drinking woman in an etching. The woman is drinking from a cup, with her head covered with a large cloth. The headscarf, often a symbol of modesty or status, takes on an interesting dimension here. Consider its reappearance in Vermeer's paintings, where similar head coverings adorn women in scenes of domesticity. Yet, unlike Vermeer's poised figures, Coclers' woman engages in a rather primal act—drinking, hinting at a momentary surrender to earthly pleasures. The act of drinking is deeply embedded in our collective unconscious, a symbol of communion, celebration, and sometimes, oblivion. The psychological weight of this image lies in its raw simplicity. It captures a fleeting moment of human experience. The woman in this etching is connected through art history, an archetype of the human condition revisited in every age.