Vrouwenbuste, met op de schouders afhangende sluier 1726 - 1787

Jan Snellen created this drawing of a woman’s head with a veil sometime in the 18th century. The woman’s downcast gaze and the veil suggest that she is in mourning, but what cultural meanings might this image have had for viewers in the Dutch Republic? In this period, the Dutch Republic was one of Europe’s major centers for the production and trade of art. The art market was open and competitive. Artists belonged to guilds and academies, and the meanings of their works were shaped by those institutions, which promoted the study of classical art, especially portraiture. This drawing appears to be a study for a larger work, and the artist seems to have been concerned with the social expectations around public displays of emotion. Was the artist conservative or progressive? What did it mean to portray a woman in mourning? To understand this work better, we need to analyze it alongside other images, texts, and historical sources from the period. The interpretation of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.