Twee vrouwen in een tuin 1740 - 1792

Joseph de Longueil created this engraving of two women in a garden, capturing a classical scene infused with symbolism. Note the crescent moon, an ancient emblem of cyclical change and the feminine divine, and the orange tree, a symbol of love and marriage since antiquity. The woman pointing towards the potted orange tree evokes a gesture of revelation. Similar gestures appear in depictions of the Annunciation, the revelation to the Virgin Mary, and in classical scenes of uncovering or unveiling truths. Here, the orange tree becomes a symbol of revealed destiny, a motif that echoes through art history, transformed and renewed across centuries. This image invites us to ponder the enduring power of symbols, how they resonate within our collective memory, and how they continue to shape our understanding of love, destiny, and transformation. This is an example of how symbols resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in different historical contexts.