Sitzendes Kind mit großer Kapuze, vor ihm ein Teller c. 1771 - 1772

Georg Melchior Kraus captured this tender moment with pencil in hand. The child, swathed in a large hooded cloak, sits expectantly before an empty plate. The hood, a recurring motif throughout art history, shrouds the figure, inviting contemplation. We see it in depictions of the Madonna, a symbol of protection and mourning, or the Grim Reaper, an omen of death. Here, it suggests vulnerability, a psychological shield for the child as they face the world's expectations. The empty plate, too, is potent. Is it a symbol of absence? Is the child waiting with anticipation, or is there a hint of disappointment? Consider the emotional weight of these motifs, how they echo across centuries, adapting and reflecting our deepest anxieties. And, how the simple act of waiting becomes imbued with the complex layers of human emotion, forever imprinted in our collective memory.