Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1651 - 1652

This engraving is a portrait of an unknown woman by Lucas Vorsterman II, created in the Netherlands in the mid-17th century. Though the sitter is unknown to us, the image speaks volumes about the social conventions of the time. Her clothing and jewelry indicate a degree of wealth and status within Dutch society. Vorsterman, trained in Antwerp, was part of a well-established printmaking culture, catering to a growing market for portraits among the middle classes. The Rijksmuseum, which houses this print, reflects the later institutionalization of Dutch art and its history as a source of national identity. To fully understand this work, we might delve into period costume, jewelry, and social history books. We can only interpret its meanings by reconstructing the world in which it was made and consumed.