Landschap met twee vrouwen bij een balustrade 1666

Cornelis Saftleven created this drawing, "Landschap met twee vrouwen bij een balustrade," which translates to "Landscape with two women at a balustrade" sometime between 1607 and 1681, using pen, brush, and grey ink. The image depicts two well-dressed women standing near a balustrade, their figures rendered with precise detail that emphasizes their clothing and posture. Though on first glance it appears to be an innocuous scene, we must remember that seventeenth-century Dutch art often carries symbolic weight. The women's attire, for example, points to a particular social class, and the formal garden setting suggests wealth and leisure. During this period, the Dutch Republic was undergoing significant economic and social changes, with a growing merchant class and increasing urbanization. Artists responded to this changing world, sometimes celebrating it and sometimes critiquing it. To better understand this work, we can consult period costume guides and social histories of the Netherlands to learn more about the cultural context in which Saftleven was working.