Reinaert met een brief bij Canteclaer en zijn gezin 1866 - 1939

Bernard Willem Wierink crafted this artwork, "Reinaert met een brief bij Canteclaer en zijn gezin," using pencil and watercolor. The central figure, a fox dressed in a monk's robe, presents a letter to the rooster Canteclaer and his family. This image speaks to the age-old theme of deception. The fox, Reynard, a trickster figure, appears in the guise of piety, yet his true nature remains predatory, a symbol of cunning and deceit that echoes through medieval fables and beyond. Consider how the motif of the fox, the embodiment of slyness, resurfaces in Aesop’s fables, always weaving tales of deception. The archetype transcends cultures, reflecting a universal understanding of the darker aspects of human nature, reminding us of the shadows that lurk beneath the surface of appearances.