Vrouw met lege beurs 1625 - 1675

"Vrouw met lege beurs" (Woman with an empty purse) is an anonymous etching from the Dutch Golden Age, likely created between 1625 and 1675. The artwork depicts a woman, likely an older, working-class woman, holding an empty purse in her hands. Her expression is melancholic, reflecting the Dutch proverb, "He who has the purse has the sorrow," which is written beneath the image. This artwork is a visual commentary on the anxieties of poverty and financial hardship prevalent in 17th-century Dutch society. The etching, now housed in the Rijksmuseum, is a small but powerful reminder of the universal human experience of struggle and hardship.