Plattelandswoning met een raam met rasterwerk c. 1871 - 1878

Maria Vos made this sketch of a country house window with latticework using graphite. Vos was working in the Netherlands in the nineteenth century at a time when the art world was dominated by men. Vos was highly skilled and worked within the established traditions of Dutch art. Yet, her intimate sketches and still life paintings of flowers can be understood as a gentle assertion of female artistic vision within a male-dominated art world. The choice of domestic subject matter, like a window, could be read as a subtle commentary on the limited opportunities available to women artists at this time. Historians piece together the social context of artworks like this using letters, diaries, and exhibition reviews. By doing this, we can reveal the complex interplay between artistic expression and prevailing social norms.