Sleeping cat 

Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt captured this sleeping cat in delicate strokes of graphite on paper. Here, the feline is curled into a tight, self-contained sphere. It is an embodiment of relaxation and domesticity, a motif that has echoed through art history. The image of a sleeping animal, particularly a cat, is not new; it evokes ideas of comfort, safety, and a retreat from the world's demands. Consider ancient Egyptian art, where cats were revered, or even the later European paintings where cats are symbols of domestic tranquility, often paired with women. The cyclical nature of such symbols reveals our enduring psychological needs. The sleeping cat becomes a representation of our own yearning for peace, a subconscious desire projected onto the animal form. It is a return to primal comfort, a reminder of simpler times, constantly re-emerging in different cultural forms.