Studie van een distel-plant en kleiner gewas 1675 - 1700

This is a study of a thistle plant with smaller vegetation, made in an unknown year by G. Hamilton. Botanical drawings and studies, while seemingly innocuous, have a complex and gendered history. Often relegated to the realm of the domestic and amateur, especially for women artists, such works were frequently perceived as less significant than history painting or portraiture. Hamilton's detailed rendering invites us to reconsider these hierarchies. Is this merely a study, or does it serve as a commentary on the marginalization of certain subjects and artists? Consider the thistle itself, a plant often seen as a weed, prickly and undesirable. By focusing on this overlooked subject, Hamilton perhaps subtly challenges conventional notions of beauty and worth. The emotional impact of the drawing lies in its quiet attention to detail, in the way it elevates the ordinary.