Jacob Ochtervelt, Dutch
Jackass Trying To See What He Looks Like When He’s Asleep, ca. 1678-80
Oil on canvas
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MASTERPIECE #3538
/// This scene’s odd, more bizarre than it seems.
Light from one woman’s balding head gleams.
Since the Officer’s sleeping,
could it be that we’re peeping
into one of his fantastic dreams?
/// With his eyes closed, the Officer misses
the two figures in back, sharing kisses.
Is that couple behind
real, or just in his mind?
(Does the woman resemble his missus?)
/// What is gripped by the woman who kneels?
Could a mirror be what she conceals?
Is the fog of his breath
meant to tell sleep from death?
Or will seeing his own face draw squeals?
/// Is the man at his back poised to shake him?
Or are practical jokes planned to break him?
In the “bald” woman’s hand
she is tugging a strand
of the Officer’s hair, which should wake him.