Vrouw met muizenval 1838 - 1904

Christoffel Bisschop created this work, "Vrouw met muizenval", which translates to "Woman with Mousetrap", using pen lithography. The somber tonality, achieved through delicate gradations of light and shadow, draws us into the intimate domestic scene. The woman is centrally placed, seated on a stairway, and appears to be setting a mousetrap. The composition guides our gaze from the dark foreground, filled with household objects, up the stairs to a lit doorway, creating a play of depth and perspective. The artist employs a semiotic structure, where objects—the mousetrap, stairs, and doorway—function as signs. The mousetrap symbolizes themes of domesticity and entrapment. The contrast between light and shadow not only models the forms but also embodies a duality, perhaps reflecting the woman's own ambiguous position within the domestic sphere. Notice the contrast between the woman's figure, illuminated, and the surrounding darkness. This formal arrangement could challenge conventional interpretations of domestic life, turning the ordinary into a site of philosophical reflection and complex meaning.