Spotprent op het afgelopen jaar, 1882 1882

This is a cartoon made in 1882 by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans, representing the end of the fiscal year for the Dutch State. We see Father Time, a traditional symbol of the passage of years, with his scythe. Note the cap he wears. A later version of Mercury's hat, the god who carries souls to the underworld. Here, it illustrates how the end of the year leads to the next, an eternal cycle of death and rebirth. He is hunched over a ledger open to “Deaths” and “Plans,” contemplating the past year. This somber introspection, the reflective gaze of Father Time, appears throughout the ages. From ancient Roman depictions of Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings and transitions, to Renaissance allegories of melancholy, the introspective figure invites viewers into a state of contemplation. This act of reflection is a deeply human act: perhaps Crans is telling us that the passage of time is a burden we all must bear.