Jonge vrouw met een emmer c. 1901 - 1927

Johan Antonie de Jonge sketched this young woman with an ember with crayon. The ember, or bucket, she carries becomes an object of practical necessity, but also one imbued with profound cultural significance. Across time and cultures, carrying vessels like buckets and pitchers are heavily symbolic. Think of the classical figure of the water bearer, a symbol of purification and life-giving force. Here, this young woman’s task seems more modest, yet it echoes those ancient themes. In earlier times, water was life, and the act of fetching it was a crucial daily ritual. The posture, inclined and with a heavy load, may subconsciously trigger feelings of burden, responsibility, and the weight of everyday existence. Consider how such a simple gesture of carrying water becomes laden with the collective memory of human toil and perseverance, a powerful visual echo resonating through the ages.