Herm met gezicht van meisje c. 1660

François Bourlier made this etching of a herm with the face of a girl in the late 17th century, at a time when French art academies were solidifying a hierarchy of genres. The 'herm' references classical antiquity, and the girl's face is rendered in the style of a classical bust. But the work is an etching, a relatively new medium that was not yet considered high art, and the girl's face is not idealized. It's almost a caricature. Bourlier seems to be winking at the pretentions of the academy by combining high and low elements in a single image. To understand this work, one might research the history of the French art academies, the hierarchy of genres, and the development of etching as an artistic medium. Only then can we begin to appreciate the social and institutional context in which it was made.