Portret van Louise de Kéroualle hertogin van Portsmouth in een landschap 1678

Gerard Valck created this portrait of Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth. Notice the pastoral setting and Louise’s shepherdess staff, these are not merely decorative. They are a conscious echo of classical allegories, particularly the myth of the Good Shepherd. The shepherdess became a popular motif in courtly love traditions, symbolizing innocence and a nurturing spirit, a guise employed by royals to soften their image. Observe how the sheep she attends, a symbol of gentleness, bears a striking resemblance to the sacrificial lamb. The shepherdess is then imbued with the power to protect or to sacrifice. These motifs have undergone a metamorphosis, shifting from religious to secular and back again, their meanings accumulating like palimpsests on ancient parchment. This image engages us on a subconscious level. It whispers of protection and sacrifice, reflecting the cyclical nature of power and vulnerability, evoking the deep, subconscious connection to our ancestral past.