Schapen in een wei c. 1885 - 1911

Jozef Israëls made this sketch of sheep in a meadow with graphite on paper. Sheep, throughout history, have been laden with symbolic weight. In ancient times, the lamb was a sacrificial figure, a symbol of innocence and purity, deeply embedded in religious iconography. Consider, for instance, the figure of the Good Shepherd, prevalent in early Christian art. This motif echoes through the centuries, appearing in various guises, each iteration colored by its specific cultural milieu. The collective memory of agrarian life, with its inherent cycles of birth and death, likely plays a role in the enduring emotional resonance of sheep imagery. There is a psychological weight to the representation of these gentle creatures. It is a non-linear progression, surfacing and evolving, as symbols often do, across time.