Muziek 1560 - 1600

This is *Muziek*, made by Johann Sadeler I around the late 16th century, using engraving techniques. During this time, the representation of women in art was often symbolic, embodying virtues or abstract concepts. Here, we see a female figure personifying music. This depiction is loaded with cultural baggage. The serene, almost aloof expression, contrasts with the active role she is seen to be performing, creating music. The instrument she holds and plays would have been associated with sophistication and courtly life, reflecting the social status and gender roles of the time. Notice how she is perched upon a stack of books, a clear indication of her elevated status. Yet her bare foot grounds her, creating a tension between the ideal and the real. How might this image reflect or challenge the lived experiences of women at the time? Is this an empowering image, or does it simply reinforce existing power dynamics?