Over the years there has been much speculation about the subject and title of this sculpture. It has been called The Lovers, Mother and Child, Pietà, and recent research suggests that it may be related to Kollwitz's later lithograph Death Holds a Girl in His Lap. Whatever the title, the depth of the artist's emotions and sense of intimacy-whether pertaining to love or loss-are palpable. Kollwitz was profoundly affected by the death of her son in the first world war, and later by the death of her husband; eros and death are frequently conflated in her works.

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