{"id":47970,"date":"2021-03-19T12:52:45","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T12:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.museum-aarschot.be\/viii-spare-little-brother\/"},"modified":"2021-03-19T12:52:45","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T12:52:45","slug":"viii-spare-little-brother","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.museum-aarschot.be\/en\/viii-spare-little-brother\/","title":{"rendered":"VIII Spare little brother"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<< VII Brother Jos<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Godfried Van Kerckhoven<\/strong> (1926-1929)
After a playdate at the neighbours\u2019, an infectious disease takes hold of Godfried. Croup costs the toddler his life. Godfried\u2019s parents feel the pain of an almost unbearable grief. It looked as though their little son would later be buried with them. The influence of the rock-hard sugar aunts is clearly felt when they alone decide that the cherub will end up in their future family tomb. When Clementina, with a broken mother\u2019s heart, brings another son into the world in 1930, the child is likewise given the name Godfried, the later notary Van Kerckhoven. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jos, Clementina, Arthur, Godfried (1926-1929), ? , ? , Paul <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pieter delves into Godfried\u2019s sad fate in order to place his short life in an artistic perspective. A haunting piece, not to say one that sticks with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Child\u2019s Lament<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little Constantijn, blessed little child,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little cherub, from on high,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vanities down here<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laughs at with a drowsy eye*.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mother, he said, why do you weep?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do you weep* over my corpse?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above I live, above I float,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little angel of the kingdom of heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there I shine, and there I drink,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the giver of all good<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gives to the souls that teem there,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frolicking* in much abundance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn then to travel with thoughtfulness*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To palaces, out of the mire<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of this world, which whirls so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The eternal takes precedence over the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Deze<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Paul, Godfried (1926-1929), Jos<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frie finds it exaggerated and abnormal how his parents and aunts forced him, throughout his youth, to pray mournfully for his deceased little brother Godfried. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Deze<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Paul, Godfried (1926-1929) Jos<\/strong> Arthur breeds turtle doves in the garden at Martelarenstraat 34<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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