Portret van Jozina Keuse 1773

Cornelis van Noorde’s 1773 etching on copper, now in the Rijksmuseum, portrays Jozina Keuse, a widow born in Haarlem in 1673. Van Noorde created the portrait in a society deeply structured by class and gender, where the representation of women, particularly older women, was often laden with stereotypes. Here, Jozina is depicted with an almost unsettling honesty. We see the marks of age etched on her face, a stark contrast to the often idealized portrayals of women in art. The inclusion of text beneath the portrait stating she "lives there prosperously" subtly speaks to her social status. The light from the window illuminates her calm face, and we are left with a dignified and very human image. By portraying Jozina Keuse with such unvarnished realism, Van Noorde perhaps offers a counter-narrative to the prevailing conventions of portraiture, giving visibility to the lives and experiences of women who might otherwise be overlooked by history. In this way, he shapes our understanding of both the individual and the society in which she lived.