Gedenkzuil voor Juliana Cornelia de Lannoy 1784

This print, commemorating Juliana Cornelia de Lannoy, was made by Reinier Vinkeles, an engraver working in the Netherlands in the late eighteenth century. It shows a classical monument, wreathed in foliage, in a forest setting. The monument is attended by a woman who holds a laurel wreath, and a putto, or winged child. At the foot of the monument are depicted skulls and bones. The image thus presents a contrast between the commemoration of achievement, the innocence of youth, and the certainty of death. Born in 1738, De Lannoy was a playwright and poet, producing tragedies that were performed in the Dutch Republic and elsewhere. The institutions of the Dutch Republic – the cities and the states – were deeply involved in cultural patronage. Vinkeles’ print testifies to De Lannoy’s cultural status, as well as to the place of women in public life. As historians, we might wish to examine the archives of the Dutch theatre to learn more about De Lannoy’s plays, or to research the history of cultural patronage in the Netherlands in order to understand better the conditions that made her achievements possible.