Lezende Sibille met kind after 1516

This chiaroscuro woodcut shows a Sibyl reading by candlelight, held by a child. The image, made in the Dutch Republic, speaks to the social role of women in a rapidly changing society. The Sibyls, female prophets of antiquity, were often depicted in art as learned figures. In the context of the Dutch Republic, a Protestant mercantile society, images of female literacy served multiple purposes. They could be used to argue for female education, but also as an affirmation of traditional gender roles. The woman is reading, not writing. The presence of the child holding the candle highlights the domestic setting and reinforces the idea of the Sibyl as a mother. The woodcut technique itself, with its bold contrasts of light and shadow, adds to the drama and moral weight of the scene. The “R” on the top left is a symbol for the printer, which can provide art historians with valuable insight into the distribution networks of images like this.