Luxuria 1548 - 1549

Heinrich Aldegrever created this pen and brown ink drawing titled "Luxuria" sometime between 1520 and 1561, it now resides in the Rijksmuseum. During the early 16th century, as the Protestant Reformation gained momentum, artists grappled with how to represent moral concepts in a world undergoing religious upheaval. Here, Aldegrever embodies "Luxuria," or lust, with a figure who represents both allure and warning. The woman's revealing attire and confident gaze suggest a celebration of the sensual. Yet, she is accompanied by a boar, a symbol of uncontrolled appetite, and holds objects associated with vanity and excess. Aldegrever uses traditional allegorical representation which invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of desire and morality during a time when notions of sin and virtue were being fiercely debated. "Luxuria" speaks to the era’s intense negotiation between personal pleasure and public morality.