Standbeeld van Maria van Pruisen te Luxemburg 1878 - 1949

This image depicts a statue of Maria of Prussia in Luxembourg, made by an artist known only by the initials CGST. Though not much is known about the artist, the work itself tells a broader story about nineteenth-century European royalty and gendered expectations. Maria, as a Prussian princess by birth and a Dutch princess by marriage, was part of a complex web of dynastic power. Statues like these were a common way to publicly assert authority and lineage. What strikes me is how the image captures Maria’s likeness, yet also presents her as an ideal. She’s adorned in ornate clothing, a signifier of her status, but her posture and expression carry a sense of composed regality. Consider how such representations both reflected and shaped societal expectations of women in power. Did they confine or empower? As you reflect on this image, consider how it invites us to think about the role of women in positions of power, then and now.