Boereninterieur met een vrouw bij een spinnewiel 1854 - 1914

Albert Neuhuys sketched this peasant interior with charcoal, capturing a woman at her spinning wheel. The spinning wheel, a central motif, is more than a tool; it's an ancient symbol, found across cultures. It is often associated with fate and the cyclical nature of life, like in the myth of the Moirai, the Greek fates who spin the thread of life. Remember Sleeping Beauty? There, the spindle is an omen of destiny. Here, the wheel's circular motion may mirror the rhythms of peasant life, labor, and tradition. The woman, absorbed in her task, embodies patience and resilience. But there is also an undertone of melancholy, a reminder of the ceaseless toil that defines human existence, a sentiment found in countless depictions of laborers throughout art history. The symbol of the spinning wheel returns to us, its meaning enriched by each turn.