Geder, siddende rokokodame 1810 - 1873

This drawing by Wilhelm Marstrand, held at the SMK, features a Rococo lady and several studies of goats, all rendered with delicate strokes. The goat, a creature laden with symbolic weight, stars prominently. Across cultures, the goat appears as a symbol of both virility and scapegoating. Think of the ancient Greek satyrs, creatures of the wild, embodying untamed desires, or the scapegoat of the Old Testament, burdened with sins and cast out. Observe how this duality persists through time. In medieval folklore, the goat becomes intertwined with images of the demonic, a far cry from its earlier association with fertility. The tension between these interpretations creates a powerful emotional undercurrent. Marstrand’s choice of the goat suggests a complex interplay of meanings, a reminder of how symbols evolve, carrying echoes of past associations into the present.