Portret van een jonge vrouw met halssieraad 1877 - 1880

This is a cabinet card photograph by Antoni Verryck-Fleetwood portraying a young woman adorned with a delicate necklace. The jewel, worn close to the throat, echoes motifs seen in Renaissance portraits, where elaborate necklaces often symbolized status and virtue. Consider how such adornments evolved from protective amulets in antiquity, designed to ward off evil. Over time, these talismans transformed into emblems of beauty, wealth, and identity. The circular shape of the jewel—a form of symbolic protection—appears across cultures, from ancient Egyptian scarabs to Byzantine medallions. The subject's gaze, directed away from the viewer, hints at introspection, inviting the viewer to project their own emotions onto her. Her likeness is captured through the lens of history, subtly connecting her to countless faces throughout the ages. A timeless echo that demonstrates how symbols resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in different historical contexts.