H. Maagd met engelen 1831 - 1904

Arnoud Schaepkens sketched this Virgin Mary with angels, employing ink on paper. The Virgin stands, crowned and haloed, above a serpent, flanked by cherubic angels. These are potent symbols, their roots stretching far back through cultural memory. The serpent, a complex and multivalent signifier, can be traced from ancient Near Eastern mythologies, where it embodies chaos and primal energy. In Christianity, it often represents temptation and evil, notably in the Garden of Eden. Here, Mary's triumph over the serpent echoes the idea of the Immaculate Conception, her victory over sin. This motif reappears across centuries; consider the snake under the feet of the Egyptian deities, which embodies the repression of primal instincts. The figure of the Virgin Mary engages our subconscious; the maternal archetype elicits feelings of comfort, protection, and purity. Schaepkens masterfully harnesses this power, creating an image that resonates on a profound emotional level. The motifs in this drawing serve as a testament to how symbols evolve, adapt, and continually resurface.