Portret van Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues c. 1600 - 1610

This is Johannes Eillarts' portrait of Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues. The most striking symbol here is the star that hangs upon her chest, a motif that speaks volumes. In antiquity, the star was often connected with celestial divinity. We find it adorning the robes of emperors and the crowns of gods. Consider its appearance in ancient Babylonian art, where the eight-pointed star represents Ishtar, the goddess of love, war, and fertility. Over time, this symbol migrated westward, appearing in various guises—sometimes associated with royalty, other times with spiritual enlightenment. The star evolves, in the Renaissance it's not merely an emblem of power but an indicator of destiny, a guiding light towards one's fate. It taps into our collective unconscious, resonating with the primal human desire for guidance and meaning. Like the stars in the night sky, it represents something eternal. This emblem is not merely a decoration, but a psychological beacon. Symbols resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in different historical contexts.