Gezicht van een vrouw met gesloten ogen 1890s - 1900s

Karel de Nerée tot Babberich rendered this drawing of a woman's face, likely at the turn of the century, with pencil on paper. The closed eyes here are powerful in their symbolism. The motif of closed eyes resonates deeply across cultures and epochs. We see it in ancient funerary art, symbolizing the transition from life to death. Think of the Egyptian sarcophagi where the deceased are depicted with eyes shut, awaiting rebirth. In religious iconography, closed eyes can represent inner contemplation, a turning away from the material world toward spiritual insight. Here, the woman's profile and closed eyes evoke both a sense of peace and a sense of melancholy, a deep sleep from which she may or may not awaken. It invites us to contemplate the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth—themes that have haunted the human psyche for millennia.