Drie pratende mannen 1758 - 1762

This etching by François Deroy, "Three Talking Men," presents a scene punctuated by symbols of both the domestic and the spiritual. The men's walking sticks, while practical, evoke the staff of the shepherd—a figure deeply rooted in religious and pastoral traditions. Consider how the staff appears elsewhere: as the scepter of a king, or the caduceus of Hermes. These symbols all share a common thread—authority and guidance, reflecting how the humble tool gains layers of cultural meaning. Across the landscape, we see a church spire juxtaposed against the smoke rising from a chimney. This duality—spiritual aspiration versus earthly domesticity—reveals a deep psychological tension. The human mind has always sought to reconcile the sacred with the everyday, a struggle visually captured in this simple yet evocative scene. It invites us to contemplate the cyclical, non-linear relationship between our physical existence and our spiritual longings.