Ein Schäfer auf einem Hügel unter Bäumen liegend 

Jan Lievens made this chalk drawing of a seated woman around 1650 in the Netherlands. At first glance, it seems a simple portrait, but let's consider the social context in which it was made. The Dutch Golden Age was marked by growing merchant power, which also meant a shift in traditional patronage systems for artists. Rather than working for the church or aristocracy, artists found themselves increasingly dependent on the tastes of the middle class. This portrait reflects those changes. The sitter's modest clothing and solemn demeanor suggest middle-class values of piety and restraint. Lievens was trying to capture the likeness but also the sitter’s social identity. The artist has created an enduring record of a society in transition. Art historians study such images alongside documents from the period, to better understand the changing social roles of art in the Netherlands.