Een hen met kuikens bedreigd door twee pauwen, bekend als 'De bedreigde hen' c. 1850 - 1917

Johannes Arnoldus Boland created this etching, known as 'The Threatened Hen', capturing a moment of domestic anxiety, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this seemingly simple scene, a hen fiercely protects her chicks from the looming presence of two peacocks. The image can be viewed through the lens of gendered and racial power dynamics, the protective mother hen standing in contrast to the more flamboyant and potentially predatory peacocks. Boland presents the hen as a symbol of maternal defense against external threats, while the peacocks, with their elaborate plumage, embody a kind of aristocratic privilege. The charged atmosphere conveys the emotional intensity of a mother's determination to safeguard her offspring in a world where vulnerability is ever-present. Boland’s work subtly challenges the traditional narrative of pastoral idyll. It reflects the complex intersections of power, protection, and vulnerability within the domestic sphere.