Maria met kind en twee vrouwelijke heiligen 1826

This is Johann Nepomuk Strixner's "Maria met kind en twee vrouwelijke heiligen", made sometime between the late 18th and mid 19th century. The work offers us a view into the prevailing social and religious ideals of the time. Strixner positions Mary, the mother of Jesus, centrally, flanked by two female saints. We are invited to contemplate the roles and expectations placed upon women within this religious and cultural context, and to consider the balance between piety and social duty. The artist, working during a period of significant social change in Europe, invites reflection on women's roles and their relationship to the divine. Consider the way motherhood is idealized through Mary, and how the female saints embody different paths of devotion and service. The tranquil, almost melancholic expressions of the figures evoke a sense of serene introspection. They encourage us to reflect on our own place within these historical and cultural narratives.