The bronze statue “Mother and Child” (1965), made by the unknown sculptor A. Koning-de Jong, stands in the park on the Fazantenstraat in Zandvoort. The statue is 2.50 meters high (including pedestal) and was unveiled on 29 July 1965 by mayor Van Fenema, together with the work of Loeki Metz. The artwork is part of an exhibition that was officially opened that same evening in the Community Center of Zandvoort.
Meaning and Characteristics
The sculpture shows a powerful, stately mother figure looking into the distance with her child. The meaning of their gaze remains mysterious: are they staring into the future or are they gazing at the horizon? The work radiates both strength and tenderness, through the hands that hold each other. The placement of the sculpture in the middle of the park emphasizes the visual impact and invites passers-by to stop and admire the unity of “mother and child”. The artwork would also have fitted well along the Boulevard, facing the sea, as an ode to the women and children who were left behind when their husbands went to sea, but this location was not chosen at the time.
Artist A. Koning-de Jong
Little is known about the artist A. Koning-de Jong. What is clear is her origins in Amsterdam and her contribution to sculpture in Zandvoort. It is a pity that her name was not sufficiently recognized in the past, since the work “Mother with Child” certainly deserves attention. The work of art remains a valuable addition to the Zandvoort streetscape.