Portret van Susanna Sibylle Reichardt 1697 - 1713

This engraving of Susanna Sibylle Reichardt was made by Pieter Schenk, around 1700, in the Netherlands. It gives us insight into the social and cultural values of the Dutch elite during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Susanna is portrayed with symbols of status: fine clothing, jewelry, and an elaborate hairstyle, all of which reflect her social standing. The portrait is framed within an oval, a classical motif, and set against a landscape that includes a formal garden, signifying wealth, taste and control over nature, values prized by the Dutch upper class. The Latin inscription below the image serves to commemorate her. This print, now housed in the Rijksmuseum, tells us about the institutional forces that shaped artistic production, reflecting the period's artistic conventions and the demands of its patrons. Further study into the Reichardt family and the culture of portraiture in the Netherlands at the time will give more insight into the portrait's cultural and social contexts.