During the years around 1820, C.W. Eckersberg was busy painting portraits of the affluent citizens of Copenhagen.\u00a0In one of the two works he painted Bella and Hanna Nathanson in a sparingly furnished drawing room with simple panelling and furniture, including a table bearing a parrot\u2019s cage.<\/p>\n
The parrot opens up the scene to symbolic readings. Due to their ability to imitate human voices parrots were often seen as symbols of good breeding, a suitable allusion for a picture of two young middle-class woman.<\/p>\n
At the same time, however, the caged bird can also be regarded as a metaphor for the two unmarried women\u2019s sheltered situation while waiting \u2013 perhaps longing? \u2013 to move out into real life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
During the years around 1820, C.W. Eckersberg was busy painting portraits of the affluent citizens of Copenhagen.\u00a0In one of the two works he painted Bella and Hanna Nathanson in a sparingly furnished drawing room with simple panelling and furniture, including a table bearing a parrot\u2019s cage. The parrot opens up the scene to symbolic readings. … Continue reading Bella and Hanna<\/span>