Staande vrouw met kind 1777 - 1779

This small etching by Pieter de Mare depicts a standing woman holding a basket and holding hands with a child. Consider the motif of the hand-held: a tender yet powerful connection, resonating deeply through time. We find its echoes in ancient Roman depictions of familial concordia and, indeed, its inversion in images of captivity and forced submission. Think of the Pietà, where Mary cradles Christ’s body; the emotionality hinges on the intimacy of touch. Here, it speaks to the protective, nurturing bond between mother and child. This universality suggests that such gestures tap into a primal stratum of shared human experience. Note the child’s solemn expression, a far cry from cherubic glee. Is it mere artistic convention, or does it hint at the hardships of their world? We find in this artwork a universal symbol of motherly care, but the social realities of the time are not far from the surface.