Portret van een oude vrouw met geplooide plooikraag 1743 - 1800

This portrait of an old woman with a pleated collar was made by Pieter Louw. The striking plooikraag—a meticulously pleated ruff—encircles her neck, a symbol of status and adherence to the rigid societal norms of the time. Yet, let us consider its echoes. From the elaborate neckpieces of ancient Egyptian nobility to the Elizabethan ruffs immortalized in portraits, such adornments denote not only status but also a certain constriction, a binding of the individual will. This collar, then, becomes a loaded emblem, mirroring the psychological constraints placed upon individuals within the rigid social structures. Like a serpent biting its own tail, this symbol of cyclical return invites us to reflect on how societal expectations, much like the ruff itself, continually resurface, binding each generation anew.