Afdruk van een medaillon met een voorstelling van een trouwceremonie in een kerk 1607 - 1677

Dirck Strijcker created this print of a wedding ceremony in a church sometime in the 17th century. It captures a moment of Dutch domesticity, yet it also speaks to the broader social structures of the time. The print depicts a couple joined in matrimony, surrounded by witnesses, within the grandeur of a church. The act of marriage itself was more than just a union of two people; it was a transaction, a means of consolidating wealth and social standing. The Dutch Golden Age, while a period of prosperity, was also deeply stratified, with gender roles strictly defined, and class distinctions clearly demarcated. Consider the inscription encircling the image, hinting at the expectations and gendered dynamics within marriage. “A quarrelsome wife comes from the acre.” It acknowledges the labor expected of women, yet also carries a warning about female assertiveness. Strijcker’s print invites us to reflect on the complexities of marriage, then and now, as both a personal commitment and a reflection of societal norms.