Badende vrouw, herderin, twee cupido's en een kudde geiten en schapen 1687 - 1748

Martin Schedel created this print, "Bathing Woman, Shepherdess, Two Cupids and a Herd of Goats and Sheep," sometime between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. During this time, idyllic pastoral scenes were popular amongst European elites who were fascinated by the idea of a simple, rural life. Here, we see a bathing woman attended to by cupids, a shepherdess, and her animals. The woman’s naked body and her perceived vulnerability are striking. The shepherdess to the left looks on with a guarded expression. What does it mean for women to be the subject and object of each other’s gaze? This idyllic fantasy does not reflect the realities of class and gender during Schedel's lifetime, but rather speaks to the desires of wealthy, land-owning men who benefited from these very inequalities. Consider the impact of such idealized images on the women whose real lives were far from such fantasies.