Vrouw met mand op houten brug over een rivier 1759 - 1815

Jean Mathieu created this print, "Woman with basket on wooden bridge over a river", sometime between 1752 and 1806, using etching and aquatint. Mathieu, working in late 18th century France, lived during a time when the traditional societal structures were beginning to be questioned. Look closely and you'll notice that the woman is burdened by a basket, she is dwarfed by the landscape. As she crosses the bridge, she's framed by both nature's beauty and its potential dangers. The "unstable bridge" of the title suggests the tenuousness of her position and the burdens she carries, both physically and metaphorically. Mathieu invites us to reflect on the unseen labor that sustains society, while hinting at the social imbalances of his time. The artwork encapsulates a moment of vulnerability, as it prompts us to consider the complex interplay between individual lives and the larger currents of history.