Beeld van Gerechtigheid (Justitia) in de Vierschaar van het Stadhuis op de Dam 1719 - 1783

Hubert Quellinus created this print depicting the statue of Justitia, or Justice, for the Amsterdam Town Hall. Quellinus was one of many artists employed to fill the newly constructed building with allegorical references to the city's power. Justice is shown here as a blindfolded woman holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. While a figure of Justice seems at first neutral, the classical imagery that Quellinus employs is laden with a history of gendered, racialized, and classed power dynamics. For instance, consider how Lady Justice is always depicted as a powerful, white woman. The image seems intended to convey impartiality, but the subject is inherently a symbol of authority. This print asks us to consider who is represented by Justice, and who is excluded. Does Justice exist when the image is rooted in so much visual rhetoric?