Jongetje met hoepel 1856

Willem Cornelis van Dijk created this small etching of a boy with a hoop sometime in the 19th century. The circle, or hoop, has been a symbol of continuity and eternity since antiquity. Consider the Ouroboros, an ancient image of a serpent eating its own tail, a symbol of the cyclical nature of life and death. The boy’s hoop echoes this, representing the unbroken cycle of childhood play and the perpetual motion of life. Observe how the boy points with a stick. This gesture, seemingly simple, recalls the classical figure of the guide or teacher, leading the way through knowledge or life. We see echoes of this in Hermes, guiding souls, or even a conductor leading an orchestra. This image encapsulates a powerful, universal idea: the endless possibilities and journeys of life, driven forward by youthful energy. It invites us to reflect on how we, too, propel ourselves through our own cycles, carrying forward the echoes of the past.