Oude vrouw bij de deur van een schuur 1630 - 1700

This small etching, made by an anonymous artist, depicts an old woman at the door of a barn and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. In the Dutch Republic, the art market was open, and subject matter often reflected social and cultural attitudes of the time. The artist shows us the old woman, the barn, and the landscape in fine detail through the etching technique, and may be commenting on the lives of the lower classes. Was this art made for private or public consumption? It’s difficult to know since the artist is anonymous, but these details encourage us to consider the social status of the sitter. To fully understand this artwork, one could research the status of older women in the Dutch Republic to illuminate the possible meanings behind the art. We might use census records and social histories to shed light on this image.