Drijvers 1840 - 1880

Johannes Tavenraat created this wash drawing, entitled 'Drijvers,' capturing a series of head studies. The figures' faces are distinct in their characterisation, but the hats are what truly catch my eye. Head coverings signify status, trade, or religious affiliation, but also protection and concealment. Think back to images of figures adorned with elaborate headwear, turbans or mitres, found across Persian miniatures or Byzantine mosaics. Are these symbols of power or spirituality? Here, the hats seem less about authority and more about the individual. Consider, too, the pointed hat: a motif that stretches back to ancient depictions of wise men. But it's evolved; in some cultures, the same hat became associated with the foolish. A curious dance of meaning over time, revealing how symbols never stand still. The faces, shadowed and etched, stir in us a primitive, even subconscious recognition—a silent language understood by the collective mind. These figures, preserved in ink, remind us that the past is always present, always speaking, if we only know how to listen.