The marriage trap: an allegory of marriage 1647

Hendrik Noorderwiel painted this allegory of marriage on canvas in the mid-seventeenth century. It presents a satirical view of marriage as a trap, a theme that resonates with the social anxieties of the Dutch Golden Age. The painting is filled with symbolic imagery. We see a crowd of figures, some gleefully entering a large mousetrap, while others struggle to escape. Children frolic in the foreground, representing the burdens of family life. The fashion and setting tell us much about Dutch society at this time. The Dutch Republic was flourishing economically, but social expectations, especially around marriage and family, were often restrictive. The painting seems to question the rosy picture of domesticity often presented in official culture. By studying contemporary sources, such as pamphlets, poems, and legal documents, we can gain a deeper insight into the lived realities of marriage and family in the Netherlands during this period, and the power dynamics that shaped them.