Portret van een vrouw 1710 - 1772

This is Petrus Johannes van Reysschoot's sketch of a woman. The elaborate hairstyle immediately catches the eye, a symbolic tower of artifice that carries echoes of power and status across centuries. The towering hairstyles of this era, as we see here, find earlier echoes in the elaborate headdresses of ancient Egypt or the towering wigs of the French court. Each twist and curl is a statement, a visual language that speaks of societal values and personal aspirations. Consider how, even today, hairstyles remain a potent form of self-expression, a way to signal identity and belonging, a collective desire for recognition and status. The psychological weight of these symbols is undeniable. The act of adorning oneself, whether with feathers, jewels, or carefully styled hair, taps into primal urges—the desire to attract, to impress, to assert oneself within the social hierarchy. This portrait captures not just the likeness of a woman, but a timeless dance between individual identity and collective aspiration, a symbol of enduring human desires, forever captured in a fleeting moment.