Gierigheid 1550 - 1625

Curator: Here we have "Gierigheid", an engraving by Pieter Jalhea Furnius, dating from between 1550 and 1625. Editor: My immediate impression is one of confinement. Despite the classical architectural backdrop, the figure, pressed in by objects and overshadowed by drapery, seems quite trapped. Curator: That's interesting. Consider the era in which this print was created; the visual language of the 16th and 17th centuries often relied on allegory. This print uses the conventions of Mannerism to deliver a clear moral message against greed. It suggests avarice is not only ugly, as suggested by the grotesque turtle at her feet, but also constricting. Editor: The turtle is fascinating! Its presence adds a dimension of intersectional critique, linking greed with social stratification and gender, right? The figure's vulnerability contrasts sharply with her powerful grasp on the purse strings. She is burdened, not empowered, by the weight of it. Curator: Exactly! She is quite literally guarding a chest, which is ornamented with an equally ugly decorative detail. The placement of this character and her objects also speaks to the ways women of that era were limited by their access to capital. Even though we may look at this piece now and assume this is simply moralizing women’s supposed flaws, it's important to contextualize the institutional pressures women were dealing with, making them even more subject to judgement under unequal systems of inheritance, etc. Editor: Yes! It almost serves as a critique, not a condemnation, then. And in terms of her role as almost a prison warden for her money... she, too, becomes the imprisoned. I also appreciate the classical backdrop serving as almost stage set to suggest that greed, money hoarding, and judgment all take on an even larger public role than one might realize. Curator: Absolutely, thinking about this artwork forces us to remember the structures of gendered judgement. Editor: And it serves as a reminder that material desires create symbolic cages, impacting individuals, even while they attempt to consolidate privilege and power.