Venetiaans bruiloftsfeest 1583 - 1590

Hendrick Goltzius made this pen and brown ink drawing called 'Venetian Wedding Feast' sometime in the late 16th century. It depicts an aristocratic wedding in Venice. The artist was Dutch, but the subject matter reflects the fascination that artists in Northern Europe had with Italian culture. This drawing tells us a lot about the cultural values of the time. Notice the emphasis on wealth and status, evident in the elaborate clothing and grand setting. Weddings were not just personal celebrations, but public displays of social standing and alliances. This image also raises questions about the role of women in society. They are present, but are they active participants in the negotiations that would have gone into arranging a marriage? As art historians, we can delve deeper by researching marriage customs of the time, examining inventories of clothing to understand the fabrics depicted, and studying architectural plans of Venetian palaces. Through this kind of research, we start to understand art as a product of the social and institutional forces of its time.