Vader met de pasgeborene 1740 - 1760

This small engraving, made by Jan Caspar Philips around the 18th century, captures a tender domestic scene: a father meeting his newborn. The central motif here is the presentation of the child, a gesture echoing across time. Consider how the act of offering a child has roots in religious iconography. The presentation of Jesus at the Temple, for instance, where Simeon recognized the infant as the Messiah. This motif appears in countless Renaissance paintings, imbued with spiritual significance. Here, however, the setting is secular, an intimate interior. Still, the echoes of that sacred presentation resonate, suggesting the profound, almost spiritual importance of new life. Yet, observe the father’s gesture – a careful offering. This echoes, perhaps faintly, the countless images of donors presenting offerings to saints. See how a symbol resurfaces, transformed but recognizable, in the theater of daily life. A new father presents his son, not to the heavens, but to the world, a testament to the enduring power of life and the cyclical nature of human experience.