The Fortune Teller and the Lady 1603 - 1613

Jacques de Gheyn II created this print, "The Fortune Teller and the Lady," using engraving techniques. Notice how the stark contrast between light and shadow immediately draws your eye across the scene. The composition is arranged around a large tree, whose trunk acts almost as a curtain, framing the interaction between the elegant lady and the weathered fortune teller. De Gheyn’s masterful use of line creates texture and depth. Fine, closely-spaced lines define the smooth fabrics of the lady’s dress, contrasting sharply with the coarse, jagged lines depicting the fortune teller's worn garments and wrinkled face. This interplay of textures isn't merely decorative; it underscores the thematic contrast between youth and age, wealth and poverty, certainty and the unknown. The print invites us to consider how appearances can be deceiving and how societal roles can be subverted. The fortune teller, though marginalized, holds a certain power, offering a glimpse into a future that destabilizes the lady’s assured social position. It's in this tension, rendered through the formal qualities of line and contrast, that the work finds its lasting resonance.