Prinses Anna op haar sterfbed, 1759 1853 - 1861

This engraving from 1759, titled "Prinses Anna op haar sterfbed," offers a glimpse into the intimate and heavily gendered rituals surrounding death in the 18th century. We see Princess Anna in her final moments, surrounded by a carefully arranged tableau of mourners. The women, cloaked in voluminous dresses, cluster together in a display of communal grief, while the men maintain a detached, almost stoic presence. The children, likely Anna's heirs, are positioned centrally, their innocence underscoring the gravity of the scene. The visual construction serves to reinforce the era's rigid gender roles. The image serves as a poignant reminder of the disparities in how grief and loss were experienced and performed across lines of gender and power. In its emotional restraint, the engraving invites us to consider the performative nature of mourning, and the ways in which societal expectations shaped individual experiences of death and bereavement.