Hoofd van een vrouw 1775 - 1833

Jean Bernard sketched this study of a woman's head with pen in the late 18th or early 19th century. Her head is adorned with a laurel wreath. Since antiquity, the laurel has been a symbol of triumph. Think of Apollo, eternally youthful, often depicted wearing laurel. As Christianity spread, it adapted pre-existing pagan symbols, and the laurel wreath took on connotations of spiritual victory. The Renaissance saw it return to its classical origins, celebrating earthly achievements. The motif of a woman's head wearing a laurel wreath also evolved over time. During the Renaissance, portraits of women with laurel wreaths signified not only beauty but intellectual and moral virtue. Here, in Bernard’s drawing, the woman’s lowered gaze and serene expression evokes feelings of contemplative introspection, inviting viewers to reflect on the eternal cycles of life, death, and rebirth. Through this drawing, we see how symbols, even simple ones, carry layers of meaning that evolve and adapt through history. They echo through time, connecting us to the collective consciousness of humanity.