En kvinde, der plisserer 1640 - 1647

Geertruyt Roghman created this print, "A Woman Pleating," in the Netherlands, sometime in the mid-17th century. The image seems simple: a woman sewing in a domestic interior. But note the objects around her – a skull rests on a scroll at her feet, a large clock ticks away the hours on the wall. These objects invite us to contemplate the social role of women in the Dutch Golden Age. The print is replete with iconographic references and cultural associations; the skull, in particular, is a stark memento mori. In a time marked by religious piety, such objects were common reminders of mortality. In a society that emphasized the importance of family and the home, the woman’s labor is also a reminder of virtue and domesticity. The context in which art is made and received is crucial to its interpretation. By consulting sources like historical documents, religious texts, and studies of Dutch culture, we can better appreciate the print’s engagement with the social structures of its time.