Kop van een jongen met een pet 1896

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet sketched this head of a boy with a cap on paper, its exact date unknown. The most striking element is the cap, a symbol of identity that has crossed centuries, a cultural marker that both defines and conceals. Consider the Phrygian cap, worn by freed slaves in ancient Rome, a potent emblem of liberty. The cap worn by this boy is different yet echoes that ancient symbol, transformed through time and culture. It speaks to the ever-present human desire for belonging and self-expression, a narrative woven into the very fabric of our garments. Like a recurring dream, the cap reappears, laden with new meanings, each iteration a reflection of its time. Think of the many hats of identity! This unassuming sketch invites us to contemplate the silent language of symbols and our collective, perhaps subconscious, response to them.