Kop van een lapjeskat, van voren, met open ogen 1819

Jean Bernard created this study of a calico cat's head with crayon, at an unknown date. The cat, a familiar creature, is here rendered with wide, open eyes, drawing us into a gaze that transcends the domestic sphere. Consider the cat, an animal of shifting symbolic weight. In ancient Egypt, it was revered, a sacred guardian. Yet, in medieval Europe, it became associated with witchcraft and ill fortune. This duality persists, influencing how we perceive felines even today. Bernard’s cat, with its unwavering stare, evokes both the comfort of companionship and the unsettling sense of an ancient, inscrutable wisdom. Like the owl, the cat pierces the darkness with keen senses. In our collective unconscious, it embodies instinct, intuition, and the mysteries that lie beyond the veil of our rational understanding. The direct gaze of the animal speaks to the atavistic connection that binds us to the natural world. We are drawn into the magnetic power of the creature’s mysterious, unreadable stare. Thus, the cat's image evolves—from deity to demon, pet to mystic symbol—reflecting our own changing fears, desires, and cultural landscapes.