Maria met lezend Kind en Johannes de Doper 1842 - 1886

This is Erdmann Martin's rendering of Mary with the Christ Child and John the Baptist. The image presents us with well-worn iconography. Mary’s humility and piety are emphasized through her downcast gaze and folded hands, all while she’s draped in modest clothing. Although Martin lived during a time of immense social change, his composition remains rooted in traditional, patriarchal religious narratives, particularly those of the pious mother. But note how the gaze of the infant Jesus diverges from this script. He looks confidently outward, book in hand, while John looks to him in supplication. Perhaps these details gesture to the stirrings of new identities and iconographies that were gaining traction during Martin’s lifetime. However subtle, these shifts invite us to consider how traditional subjects can be reframed. What new stories might emerge when conventional representations are slightly altered or seen through a different lens?