Vrouw met twee kinderen in een draagmand 1651

Curator: This is a watercolor by Gesina ter Borch from 1651, titled "Woman with Two Children in a Carrying Basket". It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: A sigh of a picture. She looks weary and bent forward like a question mark... the pole helping her along— the way the children snuggle. It speaks of resilience, doesn’t it? A softness amidst what I imagine was a relentless hardship. Curator: The iconography of motherhood is ever-present; the figure hunched with a double burden reminds me of countless representations of burdened womanhood from ancient mythology onward. It's almost archetypal. Think of Demeter, or even early depictions of Mary. What about the additional young girl—is she symbolic of anything? Editor: Yes! The way she strides along purposefully! A mini-version of the mom perhaps and clutching the basket... What are the items in that basket one wonders: food perhaps? Little trinkets? What I find beautiful is this contrast—the bend and almost acceptance of the maternal role with the lightness of childhood. Curator: It's interesting to see a glimpse into 17th-century daily life rendered with such immediacy. Watercolor allows for a sense of movement and transparency. Editor: Watercolor certainly conveys its delicate air! Curator: Absolutely! The sketch-like quality lends it a certain vulnerability. You can feel Ter Borch’s hand at work, the swift, economical lines that build character, narrative and emotional expression... Editor: I love that description. A hand captured almost! It makes me think too, about the invisible burdens women carry. The children quite literally weight her but what else too... and even now, centuries later, what are they? What weight is shared by womankind that holds them down while their daughters gleefully, excitedly carry on… Curator: Precisely. And Ter Borch’s ability to embed this wider narrative in the quick notation of a genre scene elevates the work significantly. It is art and the quotidian combined. Editor: Thanks, you got me reflecting. The piece has such gentle force! I am reminded now, it doesn't necessarily have to all weight you...there are always parts to celebrate!