Envelop met hazen en eenden 1864

This envelope with hares and ducks was made by Johannes Tavenraat using pen in the 19th Century. Notice how the hares seem to leap off the page, full of vitality. The hare, a symbol of fertility and vulnerability, has been with us since antiquity. Think of its presence in ancient myths, often associated with lunar cycles and rebirth, a motif that recurs in medieval tapestries and Renaissance paintings, where hares symbolize the cycle of life. We see this motif echoed in the works of artists like Dürer, who captured the hare's delicate alertness. This image evokes a certain primal response. The quick, darting movements of the hare, mirrored by the serene presence of the ducks, tap into our subconscious understanding of nature's rhythms, stirring a deep, emotive connection that transcends time. The hare's fleeting presence and the duck’s calm demeanor in Tavenraat’s art become part of a larger, ongoing cultural narrative.