Een heer (Moses?) wordt verleid door een duivel die naar een vrouw vist 1664

Gesina ter Borch made this watercolor artwork, entitled 'A gentleman (Moses?) is tempted by a devil who is fishing for a woman,' in the Netherlands, sometime in the mid-17th century. The image depicts a well-dressed man, perhaps a merchant or civic official, accompanied by a winged devil who is fishing for a woman in the sea. The ships in the background and the town on the horizon suggest a port city and a maritime economy, possibly Amsterdam. The Dutch Republic in the 17th century was a mercantile empire, with a strong Calvinist culture that emphasized personal responsibility. Here, ter Borch seems to be making a moralizing comment on the social structures of her time, perhaps satirizing the way that the pursuit of wealth and pleasure could lead men astray. Art historians use archival research and the study of period literature and culture to better understand these artworks. Through this, we can appreciate how art reflects and comments on its social and institutional context.