Portrait of Margaretha van de Eeckhout, Wife of Pieter van de Poel 1690 - 1729

Arnold Boonen painted this portrait of Margaretha van de Eeckhout, the wife of Pieter van de Poel, sometime between 1689 and 1729. Made during the Dutch Golden Age, the portrait reflects the values and social structures of the time. Boonen's painting serves as a status symbol for Margaretha and her family. The elaborate costume and carefully arranged hair signifies wealth and social standing. It's important to remember that artistic representation during this period was profoundly shaped by economic factors and by the patronage of wealthy families and individuals. Artists relied on commissions from families like this one. To more fully understand a work like this, historians often consult period sources such as probate inventories, which record the possessions of wealthy families, including art. These inventories are useful tools in deciphering the ways that art functioned within the domestic sphere.