Moeder met kind - Drie kinderen bij korenschoven 1842 - 1873

Dirk Jurriaan Sluyter created these prints, "Moeder met kind" and "Drie kinderen bij korenschoven," sometime in the 19th century. The print on the left depicts a mother holding her child. It evokes the archetypal image of the Madonna and Child, resonating with centuries of religious art where the mother-child bond symbolizes purity, love, and the promise of salvation. This motif is not confined to Christianity; similar mother-goddess figures appear in various ancient cultures, reflecting a universal human fascination with fertility and protection. The print on the right shows three children playing near sheaves of wheat. Grain, historically, is a symbol of life, sustenance, and cyclical renewal, appearing across mythologies from Demeter to Osiris. Here, it is tied to innocence. Consider the cyclical nature of these images: from ancient goddesses to Christian icons, the mother-child archetype persists, resurfacing in Sluyter’s prints. It speaks to our collective memory and enduring fascination with the origins of life and the promise of regeneration.