Portret van een meisje 1890 - 1925

This portrait of a girl was made by Samson & Co. Notice the flower adorning the girl’s hair. A seemingly simple detail, it carries echoes of classical antiquity. Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, was often depicted crowned with blossoms, symbolizing renewal and the cyclical nature of life. This motif, embedded in cultural memory, surfaces in different forms throughout history. Consider Botticelli’s "Primavera," where Flora scatters flowers, embodying fertility and rebirth. The single flower in this portrait, however, takes on a more delicate, intimate quality. It speaks to the transient beauty of childhood, a fleeting moment captured in time. The flower, a symbol of innocence, also touches on deeper psychological themes. It evokes feelings of nostalgia and the bittersweet awareness of time’s passage, reminding us that symbols evolve, carrying layers of meaning across generations.