Roos c. 1920

This drawing, Roos, by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, features a rose, a symbol laden with layers of meaning across cultures and centuries. The rose has long been associated with love, beauty, and sometimes, secrecy. Think of the Roman myth of Cupid giving a rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to keep his mother Venus’s indiscretions quiet. This gave rise to the phrase sub rosa, meaning ‘under the rose,’ a symbol of confidentiality. In Christianity, the rose became linked with the Virgin Mary, often referred to as the ‘Mystical Rose,’ representing divine love and purity. Yet, the rose is not merely a symbol of gentle affection; its thorns speak of pain, sacrifice, and the bittersweet nature of existence. The rose window in Gothic cathedrals isn’t just decoration; it’s a mandala, a symbol for wholeness, the cosmos, and the divine. The drawing is a powerful reminder that symbols are never static. They evolve, accumulate layers of meaning, and resonate with our collective consciousness.