Zittende vrouw, met de voeten op een stoof 1854 - 1914

Albert Neuhuys sketched this seated woman with charcoal, capturing a moment of quiet domesticity. The foot stool here is more than a simple household object; it represents warmth and comfort, emblematic of home life. Consider how this motif of the footstool appears in other works across time. Often it is used to denote status, but here, it speaks to the interior world, the personal sphere of this woman. It's a stage for the feet, connecting earth with body, hinting at the grounding of domesticity, of hearth and home. There's a powerful, perhaps subconscious, desire for warmth and security embedded within us all, a desire that this simple object so poignantly fulfills. We see, then, the footstool's journey: from a mere object to a profound symbol, reflecting our enduring need for comfort, constantly evolving and echoing through the ages.