Portret van een vrouw met kapje (Marie Joseph Bertrand?) 1756 - 1817

Louis Bernard Coclers created this portrait of a woman in a bonnet, possibly Marie Joseph Bertrand, using etching. Produced in the late 18th century, this portrait is a window into the social conventions of the time. Note the woman’s modest dress and bonnet, likely indicators of her social standing and marital status within the community. The etching medium itself suggests a wider distribution of images beyond the wealthy elite who could afford painted portraits. Coclers was a painter and etcher working in the Dutch Republic, where the art market was dominated by the merchant classes. How might the economic structures and religious norms of the Dutch Republic have influenced Coclers in his presentation of women? Did his style embrace or challenge those norms? To explore these questions further, scholars might turn to period journals, religious texts, or auction records of similar works. These resources help us understand not just what was depicted, but also why and for whom.