De twaalf maanden 1875 - 1903

This print, titled "The Twelve Months," by Jan de Haan presents a tableau of seasonal activities across a year. Each scene is rich with the iconography of labor and leisure, reflecting the rhythms of rural life. Observe the scene for November; a slaughtered pig hanging, awaiting butchering. This symbol of sacrifice and sustenance has deep roots in pagan traditions, where animal offerings were made to ensure the fertility of the land. Later adopted in Christian traditions, the pig became a symbol of Saint Anthony, a protector of swineherds and a symbol of gluttony. Consider how these rural scenes, rendered with such simplicity, evoke a collective memory of agrarian life. The cycle of seasons, from the frozen ponds of January to the harvest of August, engages our subconscious recognition of the world's rhythms. These archetypal images tap into a deep-seated understanding of life's cyclical nature. The recurring motifs of labor, celebration, and natural bounty remind us of the enduring human connection to the land, a connection that resurfaces and is reinterpreted across time.