Mannenkoppen en een haas 1839

This ink drawing, titled "Mannenkoppen en een haas," or "Male Heads and a Hare," was made by Johannes Tavenraat. Here, a hare is shown, caught mid-stride, alongside several studies of men’s heads. The hare, long a symbol of both fertility and vulnerability, evokes the swift passage of time. We can see this iconography mirrored across the ages, from ancient Roman mosaics depicting hunting scenes to later Dutch still lifes. The contrast between the hare's frantic energy and the solemn profiles invites contemplation. The men’s faces, rendered in stark profile, invite us to consider their stories, their lived experiences etched into the very lines of their faces. Are these portraits, caricatures, or something in between? Observe how the image of the hare resurfaces, transformed yet still recognizable. In each appearance, it carries echoes of its past, adapting to new cultural landscapes, proving that images never truly die.