Toren met klok 1868 - 1912

"Toren met klok" is an undated print made by Maria van Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a Countess of Flanders. Maria was part of the European aristocracy during a period of immense social change, and as a woman of privilege, her artistic endeavors existed within a unique context. Here we see a clock tower, an architectural element that represents time, order, and control. The Countess's rendering of this structure through the medium of printmaking allows us to consider her position within the societal structures of her time. How did her social standing allow her to engage with artistic expression? Did it allow her to reflect critically on the society in which she lived? Her choice of subject, an old tower, speaks to history, legacy, and the passage of time. It invites us to contemplate the relationship between the personal and the historical, and the ways in which individual identity is shaped by broader social forces.