Vrouw en profil c. 1884 - 1885

Willem de Zwart etched this profile of a woman in contemplative repose. She is adorned with a prominent hoop earring, a symbol resonant across millennia. Earrings, initially amulets in ancient cultures, transcended mere decoration. They warded off evil, denoted status, or signaled tribal belonging. In Crete, Minoan women wore elaborate gold hoops; Egyptian pharaohs bore lapis lazuli pendants. Across time, this circular emblem has reappeared, transforming from protective talisman to a symbol of wealth, beauty, and rebellion. Consider the psychological weight of adornment. Could the weight of the earring represent a connection to a lineage of women? An echo of ancestral voices murmuring in the wearer's ear? It embodies a collective memory, a subconscious tie to the past, continually resurfacing, ever-evolving in meaning across the ages.