Portret van Mary Villiers, hertogin van Richmond en Lennox 1645 - 1670

This is Wenceslaus Hollar's portrait of Mary Villiers, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox. Villiers lived in a time where women of nobility were largely expected to embody ideals of beauty, virtue, and motherhood. Her representation here can be understood within the context of how women navigated and were perceived in a patriarchal society. Villiers holds flowers, emblems often used to symbolize beauty and virtue, in this way she is adhering to the visual language of femininity at the time. However, there is a directness in her gaze and posture that suggests a self-awareness and perhaps even a challenge to the passive roles typically assigned to women. The portrait encourages us to consider the complex negotiations of identity and representation within historical and cultural constraints. In particular, how women both conformed to and subtly subverted prevailing norms. It asks us to consider the emotional and personal dimensions of existing within such a framework.