Engelse vrouw van stand met grote mof in de hand 1639 - 1707

Wenceslaus Hollar made this etching of an English noblewoman, sometime in the mid-17th century. This image provides a snapshot into the sartorial tastes of the English elite during that time. The lady’s large fur muff, lace collar, and pearl necklace were all markers of wealth and status. Hollar himself was Bohemian, but he spent much of his career in England, working for aristocratic patrons and producing numerous prints documenting English society and culture. In many ways, his career reflects the increasingly international world of art and commerce in the 17th century. Prints like these served multiple purposes. They could act as records of fashionable styles, circulating amongst the aspirational middle classes. But they also functioned as displays of power, asserting the status of the sitters and the artists who served them. To fully understand the social dynamics at play in this image, we can turn to a wide range of historical sources, from fashion plates and personal letters to economic data and political tracts. All of these can illuminate the complex interplay between art, society, and power.