Spring 1643 - 1644

Editor: Here we have Wenceslaus Hollar’s "Spring," an etching and engraving from 1643-44, currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’m struck by how the figure, almost regal, contrasts with what seems to be a somewhat melancholic feel. What's your take on it? Curator: The figure does project a sense of authority. Consider how such portraits were tools in constructing social identities and reinforcing hierarchical structures of the 17th century. How does this portrait embody or perhaps subvert prevailing ideas of femininity during that era? What societal expectations were imposed upon women, and does Hollar’s Spring conform or challenge them? Editor: So, you're thinking about the role of women and maybe whether this image pushes back against those roles? I guess I see the details in her clothing and the garden landscape as signs of wealth. Does that link her to a particular social class, and does that class have any association with specific rights? Curator: Precisely. Her clothing and the grand estate place her within a specific socio-economic stratum. Can you see how fashion functions here? How is she both conforming and perhaps performing an identity of leisure, one that at the time was built upon deeply rooted power structures and gendered labor divisions? Editor: Now I see the composition with the estate in the background makes her stance even more pointed, given how that land might connect to who has and keeps wealth. I initially viewed it as a simple portrait but considering the possible critiques or tensions Hollar introduces makes it all the more interesting. Curator: Exactly. Art gives form to societal discourse, and understanding those discourses allows for a far more engaging, nuanced experience with a seemingly straightforward portrait.