Vrouw met plooikraag voor het Muiderslot 1622

Dirk Eversen Lons created this etching, “Vrouw met plooikraag voor het Muiderslot,” sometime in the 17th century. Here, the artist shows a woman with a millstone collar standing in front of the Muiderslot castle. It was made in the Dutch Republic, a unique place and time. Its Golden Age was well underway and it was a prosperous, tolerant, and relatively democratic society. This etching captures something of that social world. Muiderslot castle, built in the late 13th century, had a rich and complex history. By the seventeenth century, it was a national monument, a symbol of Dutch identity. The woman’s distinctive collar and the castle in the background show us the fashions, architecture, and cultural values of the time. For us today, this image offers insight into the institutions that helped shape Dutch society. This includes the art market and the cultural meanings that attach to specific places. By studying such artifacts, we can better understand the complex relationships between art, culture, and society in the early modern period.