Head of a Woman Wearing a Ruff, from "Livre de Têtes Gravées d'apres F. Boucher et Autres" (Book of Heads Engraved after F. Boucher and Others) 1740 - 1780

Curator: This engraving, “Head of a Woman Wearing a Ruff,” hails from the period 1740 to 1780. It comes from a collection titled "Livre de Têtes Gravées d'apres F. Boucher et Autres," or, Book of Heads Engraved after F. Boucher and Others. Editor: I am struck by how playful it is. There's a gentleness in her gaze, almost a knowing amusement. Curator: This was the Rococo period, where we saw an aristocratic culture embracing ornamentation and lightheartedness, which this portrait reflects. Editor: The ruffled collar and elaborately styled hair create this sense of ephemeral beauty. How fascinating that these visual elements signal social status and feminine ideals within their cultural moment. The portrait feels almost like a snapshot of the era's anxieties regarding social mobility, perhaps even a subtle dig at the aristocracy. Curator: Exactly. And ruffs are symbolic of the stiff formality expected of women of status in that period, both literally and figuratively a constricting ring! Here we are presented with the social performances they were expected to play out. Editor: What do you think that faint smile and sideways glance is signifying? Almost as though she knows it's all just a stage... Curator: Considering these prints would be circulating through the hands of many, perhaps she's an invitation to critique the social order through an awareness of these gendered norms. Editor: A woman rendered both as art object, and subtly defiant participant? Curator: Exactly! Anonymous artwork, yes, but a potent reminder of how identity and social position were being represented – and perhaps even challenged – in the 18th century. Editor: Thinking about the layers of symbolic representation woven into an accessible image like this really alters how we engage with the artwork. The face offers a subtle rebellion encoded into her form, a visual motif I shall not soon forget!