Ontwerp voor een kamerversiering met tuinvaas met planten en vogels 1780

This is Abraham Meertens' design for a room decoration, an ink drawing made around 1780. The central motif is a garden vase teeming with plants and birds, symbols deeply rooted in our collective consciousness. The vase, from antiquity to today, has always been a symbol of containment and abundance, but here it is overflowing, almost wild. It reminds me of Botticelli's Primavera, where Flora scatters flowers, a gesture of rebirth. The birds add another layer. In ancient times, birds were messengers between the earthly and divine realms. Notice how one sings, head raised. Perhaps it's a hymn to nature's eternal cycle. These motifs aren't just decorations; they echo through art history. This design, charged with life, touches a place deep within us. We can see how symbols resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings across time.