Illustration til "Vanddraaben" i H.C. Andersen, "Eventyr og Historier", Bind 2 1870 - 1873

This illustration, made by H.P. Hansen, visualizes Hans Christian Andersen's tale, featuring a scholar intensely examining a water droplet. The skull, an age-old memento mori, reminds us of life's fleeting nature, a theme prevalent in vanitas paintings since the Renaissance. The gesture of close examination—amplified by the magnifying glass—echoes the scientific curiosity of the Enlightenment. It also brings to mind the biblical motif of scrutinizing the world for hidden truths. We see this motif mirrored in Jan van Eyck's meticulous details and Albrecht Dürer's Melancholia I. Here, the water droplet serves as a microcosm, a reflection of the macrocosm, symbolizing how small details contain profound insights. The scholar's intense focus and the skull resonate with the psychological depth of human inquiry, a deep subconscious desire to understand mortality and the universe, echoing through history.