Elisabeth Scheffer 1693

This print of Elisabeth Scheffer was made by Hubert Schaten, some time around 1691. The conventions of the portrait are clear. The sitter is framed in an oval, surrounded by text noting her birth and death, and the image is accompanied by an inscription below. However, what might be less obvious is the social function that prints like these played in the late 17th century. This was a period in which the institutions of the art world were beginning to take shape. Printmaking was becoming more professionalized and commercialized and was a significant form of public art. We might consider the politics of this particular image. What does it mean to commemorate Elisabeth Scheffer in this way? What was her social standing? Who was the print intended for? To answer such questions we might look at genealogical records, social histories of the period, or studies of printmaking and the art market. Contextualizing art in this way gives us a much richer understanding of its meaning.