Vrouw met grote stijve kraag en opgestoken haar, en profil 1642

Wenceslaus Hollar etched this portrait of a woman with a large, stiff collar and up-do, now held at the Rijksmuseum. The high collar, an emblem of status in its time, acts as a barrier, isolating the wearer. This sartorial fortress echoes through history, reminding us of the ruffs worn by Elizabethan nobility, each coil a statement of power and inaccessibility. Looking further back, we see similar restrictive garments in ancient royal portraits where the figures are almost completely hidden. Such symbols tap into a primal understanding of power, triggering subconscious associations with control and authority. Just as the Madonna's blue robe signals sanctity, these collars speak volumes about the wearer's place in the social order. These symbols are not static; they evolve, resurface, and take on new resonance, echoing through time.