Portret van een jongedame 1849

Editor: So, this is Jan Baptist Tetar van Elven’s "Portret van een jongedame," created in 1849 using engraving. It’s at the Rijksmuseum. The delicacy of the lines gives it such a gentle, almost melancholic feeling. What strikes you most about this portrait? Curator: I'm drawn to the rose she holds. Roses, of course, carry complex symbolism. In the Victorian era, particularly, floriography was in vogue. Editor: Floriography? Curator: The language of flowers. Roses commonly symbolized love, but depending on the color and stage of bloom, the meaning could shift. Given her contemplative pose, it could hint at a complex inner life. The young lady is resting, head in hand, a gesture pregnant with symbolism of thoughtful intelligence. Even the chair looks quite significant; is that a lion head on the top? Editor: It is, yes. Curator: A lion is emblematic of courage, of regality, but consider the overall impression: a young woman presented with intellectual prowess seated on a throne, a rose barely in her fingertips... Editor: Almost like she is a queen herself! The detail of the rose makes sense as more than an accessory. It communicates her virtues through its symbolic charge. I hadn't picked that up! Curator: And it might represent virtues expected of women at that time, particularly those from well-to-do families. Thinking more of that lion detail, she might also symbolize inner fortitude which the culture requires women to suppress. Editor: The rose and the lion really changed my understanding! Thank you. Curator: Of course. Cultural context enriches so many works, changing how we engage with the images and see the subjects within them.