Valk met ooievaar 1672

Albert Flamen created this small engraving, titled "Falcon with Stork", sometime in the 17th century. The scene depicts a bird of prey dominating a stork mid-flight. Consider the cultural context of the time. Europe was still very much a patriarchal society. Printed at the bottom of the engraving is the phrase "Cette femelle l'emporte sur le masle," or "the female triumphs over the male". The banner at the top makes the same claim in Latin. It is a provocative statement during a time when women were largely excluded from positions of power. It's fascinating to consider how Flamen uses the natural world to comment on societal norms. Is the falcon's dominance simply a reflection of nature? Or, could it be interpreted as a challenge to the established gender roles of his time? There's a real tension in how such a small image can evoke questions of power, gender, and the natural world.