Drie vrouwen en een kind uit Cervara di Roma 1819

Bartolomeo Pinelli’s delicate print captures three women and a child from Cervara di Roma. The woman hunched over the well, her embrace around the vessel, is particularly striking. This gesture evokes an ancient motif, resonating with images of mourning figures from antiquity to the Renaissance. Think of nymphs lamenting lost loves, or biblical women grieving. The image of the woman grieving over a vessel can be traced back to ancient Greek funerary art. As a poignant expression of loss and grief, it taps into something primal. The symbolic weight of water is also important. Water, life-giving and cleansing, is here juxtaposed with sorrow. The well, usually a communal source of sustenance, becomes a site of private anguish. The subconscious processes can imbue a simple scene with profound emotion. Observe how Pinelli, through his art, channels these enduring symbols, and their evolving emotional power.