Schönbrunn on Sunday (Schönbrunn: am Sonntag) 1912

Adalberta Kiessewetter's small linocut print presents a day at Schönbrunn. The image is dominated by the recurring motif of intertwined hands. Note how Kiessewetter depicts families strolling, linking hands. Hand-holding, a simple gesture of human connection, has roots stretching back to antiquity. We see it re-emerge during the Renaissance in depictions of the Madonna and Child, symbolizing maternal love and protection. Yet, even before, think of the Roman tradition of the "dextrarum iunctio" in marriage, where joining right hands sealed a bond, a contract. Here, in this park scene, the act of holding hands speaks to a collective yearning for security and belonging amidst the flux of modern life. It is a primal reassurance, resonating deep within our shared cultural memory. The emotional power of the image lies in this simple, universal gesture—the act of holding hands—invoking feelings of warmth and stability. The symbol of the intertwined hand evolves, surfaces, fades, yet persists— a constant reminder of our fundamental human need for connection and continuity.