Griekse vrouwen bij een icoon in een grot 1824 - 1829

Antoine Maurin made this print, "Greek Women at an Icon in a Cave," sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It shows a group of Greek women in supplicating poses around a religious icon. This image presents an interesting puzzle. Greece at this time was under Ottoman rule. It’s likely that Maurin, working in France, was responding to the Greek struggle for independence, which began in 1821. The women’s entreaties to the icon could represent the Greek people’s appeals for divine aid, or for assistance from fellow Christians in Europe. Images of the Greek struggle circulated widely, often playing on orientalist tropes and the classical heritage of Greece to garner European support. To understand this print better, we might research the popular imagery of the Greek independence movement, French Philhellenism, and the role of religious icons in Greek culture. This print offers a window into the complex interplay of politics, religion, and cultural identity in 19th-century Europe.