Prince Eugene of Savoy Vetting a Line-up of Prostitutes 1720 - 1730

Cornelis Troost’s drawing presents us with a scene rendered in delicate graphite on paper, housed here at the Rijksmuseum. The composition is immediately striking, dividing the space between the seated and standing figures who await inspection, and the reclining Prince. Troost uses line and form to create a sense of depth within a shallow plane. The eye is guided from the sharply delineated figures in the foreground to the hazier forms in the background, culminating in the theatrical backdrop of paintings and a high relief sculpture. The artist skillfully plays with the concepts of visibility and concealment to offer a moral critique through the work. The semiotic interplay suggests a subversion of established meanings and values. Troost challenges the authority of representation by drawing attention to the act of looking itself. The artist prompts us to consider the complex relationship between power, desire, and representation in 18th-century society.