La Complaisance maternelle

Nicolas Delaunay after Sigmund Freudenberger

National Gallery of Art

This print shows a woman and two children in an interior setting. The woman is in the center, turned towards the right and slightly bent over, interacting with the two children who stand to the right near her feet. She has pale skin and dark hair under a white bonnet and wears a striped dress with long sleeves and a low neckline that exposes her breasts. She appears to be holding two straps connected to the dress of the smaller child who stands in front of her, holding a long stick with a rope tied around one end. The other child sits on the right, holding a long pot up to their face and appearing to look inside it. Both children wear dresses and bonnets over their hair, and they both have pale skin. On the ground near them, by the bottom right corner of the print, a cat sits on the ground, its head in a wide plate or saucer. Various household objects are scattered on the ground, including an eggshell, carrots and beets, and an overturned bowl. In the background, the room appears cluttered, with an open door on the left, a staircase in the center leading up to the right, a tall mantle with objects near the upper right corner, a pot hanging on the wall, and logs or branches stacked against the wall on the left. The ceiling and walls have exposed wooden beams, and a rug is partially visible on the ground.