Het slijpspel 1876 - 1890

This is a series of lithographs telling a children’s story. Here, the pig emerges not merely as livestock but as a resonant emblem, tracing back to ancient fertility rites and sacrificial offerings, where swine were symbols of prosperity and fecundity. Observe how the children interact with the pig at the heart of the narrative, a motif echoing through art history from medieval tapestries to Renaissance allegories. Consider its transformation—from a sacred animal in antiquity to a more secular, even comical figure in later periods. The pig becomes a canvas upon which cultures project anxieties and desires about nature, consumption, and societal roles. The emotional cadence of childhood, the shift from innocence to playfulness, from collaboration to conflict, engages viewers on a subconscious level. It becomes clear that the pig motif is not a linear progression but a cyclical return, a cultural echo, resurfacing across epochs.