Old Woman with Child and Goose 1885

Willard Metcalf’s painting presents an old woman with a child and a flock of geese within a rural setting. The goose, seemingly humble, is heavy with symbolism. Across cultures, the goose has appeared as a symbol of vigilance, perhaps recalling the geese of the Roman legend who warned of invasion with their honking. Yet, in other traditions, it is a symbol of the soul’s journey or transition, linked to migratory patterns and celestial navigation. Observe the goose’s presence in ancient Egyptian art, where it represented Amun, a creator god. This echoes through time, transforming into Christian iconography where geese are symbols of charity and divine providence. It resurfaces in folklore as the source of life, laying the golden eggs of prosperity and good fortune. In Metcalf’s painting, the geese, led by the old woman and child, seem to represent a deeper cycle of life, memory, and renewal. They engage viewers on a primal level, speaking to the enduring human connection to nature and the rhythms of existence.