Man gooit tegenstribbelend kind in oven 1784

This etching, created by Cornelis Brouwer, presents a shocking scene: a man throwing a child into an oven. The image is heavy with the symbols of sacrifice and violence. The oven itself, usually a source of warmth and nourishment, here becomes an instrument of potential death. The act of placing a child in the oven can be traced back to ancient rituals of child sacrifice, a motif that surfaces in various mythologies and historical accounts. Think of the Phoenician practice of offering children to Moloch or the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, where the willingness to sacrifice one's offspring becomes the ultimate test of faith. The outstretched arms of the child represent the universal gesture of human vulnerability and the instinctive resistance to violence. Such images tap into our collective memory of primal fears, engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. This symbol has seen resurgence and reinterpretation across different epochs, reflecting humanity’s complex relationship with violence, sacrifice, and the darker aspects of our nature.