Lierspelende vrouw en twee spelende kinderen 1822

This is an engraving by Philippus Velijn, depicting a woman playing a lyre, accompanied by two children at play. Notice the lyre, an instrument closely associated with Apollo, the Greek god of music, poetry, and light. In classical antiquity, the lyre was not merely an instrument but a symbol of harmony, order, and civilization, played to calm irrational impulses. The lyre's echoes resonate across time and cultures. Consider the medieval troubadours, who carried lyre-like instruments, singing tales of courtly love, or the Renaissance depictions of Orpheus, charming beasts with his lyre. The motif persists, transformed yet familiar. But observe closely: the woman is sitting on a tombstone, a somber contrast. This juxtaposition of music and mortality, of innocence and inevitability, pulls at our collective psyche. The lyre becomes a poignant symbol of our attempts to create order and beauty in the face of life's transience. This image, therefore, is not merely a scene, but a vessel carrying layers of cultural memory and profound human emotion.