Staand paard voor schuur 1802

Joannes Bemme’s engraving presents us with a standing horse before a weathered barn, a common pastoral scene imbued with deeper symbolic resonance. The horse itself, a symbol of vitality and energy, stands patiently, tethered yet powerful. Throughout history, the horse has been linked to the sun, fertility, and even death, carrying heroes and gods alike. Consider the steeds of Apollo drawing the sun across the sky, or the horses that convey souls to the afterlife in various mythologies. The man holding the bucket echoes figures from antiquity, like those found in classical friezes, suggesting a timeless connection between humanity and nature. This relationship between man and animal touches something primal within us, a shared existence rooted in the cycles of nature. The image resonates with the memory of our ancestors and their reliance on animals for sustenance, an eternal symbol that has evolved over time.