Zittende naakte vrouw 1658 - 1808

Rembrandt van Rijn created this etching, "Zittende naakte vrouw", meaning "Seated Naked Woman", in the Dutch Republic, a society undergoing rapid commercial expansion in the 17th century. While the Dutch Golden Age was a time of unprecedented prosperity, it was also a period of stark social stratification. Rembrandt, though celebrated, often found himself on the margins of the establishment. His choice of subject here—a seemingly ordinary woman, rendered with unflinching realism—challenges the idealized nudes typically favored by the wealthy merchant class. The woman's posture and the intimate setting suggest vulnerability, inviting the viewer to consider her lived experience. Was she a servant, a prostitute, or simply a model? Rembrandt doesn't offer easy answers. Instead, he compels us to confront the social realities of his time. To understand this work more fully, we need to consider the economic structures and class dynamics of 17th-century Netherlands, researching not just Rembrandt's biography, but the lives of ordinary people.