IV Al safjens soetjens 1614

"IV Al safjens soetjens," made by Roemer Visscher, is an engraving in a book. In the context of the 16th and 17th centuries, emblem books like this were not just visual artworks; they were cultural artifacts reflecting the era's values and ways of thinking. This image shows a pair of legs pulling up a stocking, a metaphor for patience. But whose legs are these, and what does patience mean in a society marked by deep social and economic divides? The act of carefully pulling up a stocking might speak to the concerns of women, and the virtue they were expected to embody. Roemer Visscher once said, “The patient man is a wise man.” How might this connect with broader social expectations around gender, class, and morality? "IV Al safjens soetjens" offers us a glimpse into the complex negotiations of identity and virtue in the Dutch Golden Age.