Ciuis aut Mercatoris Antuerpiensis Vxor 1650

Editor: This engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar from 1650 is titled *Ciuis aut Mercatoris Antuerpiensis Vxor,* or *A Citizen or Merchant's Wife of Antwerp*. It looks quite austere, formal. What do you see when you look at it? Curator: Austere is a great word. It makes me wonder, what does she see? It feels like an image carefully constructed to convey status more than character, doesn't it? That magnificent fur muff, the elaborate, gravity-defying hair. The entire outfit just shouts wealth. But her expression, though, is... something else, isn't it? It’s a far cry from the silly excesses and grins you get elsewhere, something altogether more modern. Do you see what I mean? Editor: I think so. The attire is extravagant, but the face seems almost… wary? Less idealized than other portraits of the time? Curator: Precisely. She's presenting, performing, but you sense the everyday person peeking through. Hollar was brilliant at that, at capturing both the ideal *and* the individual. He clearly noticed those nuances of Antwerp society too! Editor: So it's more than just a record of fashion; it is commentary. Curator: Exactly! Art like this teaches us that nothing is ever *just* decoration. Even the tiniest engraving can be a window into a whole world. Editor: I’ll remember to keep looking for what’s underneath! Curator: Absolutely, it will change how you look at everything else from here on in!