Sacrificing young couple 

Pieter Tanjé created this drawing, “Sacrificing Young Couple,” sometime in the 18th century. The scene, rendered in delicate lines and washes, is organized around a central ritual. The composition draws our eye to the couple, framed by attending figures: winged putti on the left and celebrants to the right. Tanjé's use of line, particularly in the drapery, evokes a sense of classical sculpture, while the asymmetry of the grouping, with the angel raising a torch to the left, disrupts a purely classical reading. The sepia ink provides a tonal unity, but the varying intensity gives depth and emotional weight to the scene. It could be interpreted as Tanjé using classical motifs to explore themes of love, sacrifice, and societal expectation. The act of sacrifice could be a metaphor for the compromises inherent in marriage or a reflection on the fleeting nature of youth and beauty. The drawing offers a window into 18th-century ideals, filtered through Tanjé’s artistic sensibility.