Onkuisheid 1551

Heinrich Aldegrever made this small engraving titled "Onkuisheid," meaning impurity or immodesty, sometime in the first half of the 16th century. Here, Aldegrever offers us a personification of one of society's perceived moral failings. The female figure, richly draped and coiffed, sits astride a camel, holding a banner aloft. We can understand this image through the visual codes of the time. The camel, an exotic import to Europe, symbolizes luxury and indulgence, while the banner's animal may refer to slyness and cunning. Made in Germany during the Reformation, a time of great religious and social upheaval, we can see the artist grappling with the changing attitudes toward morality and the role of the church. Was this image designed to reinforce traditional values, or to critique the excesses of the era? By consulting historical texts and understanding the social context, we can better understand the complex meanings embedded within this seemingly simple image. The interpretation of art is always contingent on social and institutional context.