Udkast til en kvindedragt. En lænke forbinder hendes arme 1743 - 1809

Nicolai Abildgaard made this pencil drawing, “Draft for a woman's costume. A chain connects her arms,” sometime in the late 18th century. Abildgaard was a leading figure in the Danish Neoclassical movement, and here we see his interest in ancient Greek and Roman dress. However, the chains binding the woman’s wrists introduce a complex dimension. This was the age of revolution, and artists were increasingly using classical imagery to comment on contemporary political issues. France abolished slavery in 1794. Is Abildgaard making a statement about freedom and oppression? Or perhaps, as a male artist, is he commenting on the restricted role of women in society? Art historians try to answer such questions by researching an artist’s social context, their other works, and the political debates of their time. What was Abildgaard trying to say about the society in which he lived? The meaning of art is always contingent on its historical moment.