Hoofdstudie van een oude vrouw met brilletje c. 1857 - 1914

Anthony Cornelis Cramer etched this study of an old woman wearing glasses, sometime in the 19th century. The spectacles are especially evocative. They are not merely a tool for vision but a symbol that has journeyed through time. Consider how eyeglasses have evolved. Initially, a symbol of scholarly erudition in the 14th century, they marked the wearer as literate and wise. As we move into later centuries, spectacles begin to denote not just intellect but also the inevitable decline of the body, the encroachment of age. We see them in portraits of philosophers and, increasingly, the elderly. The stooped posture and the spectacles create a powerful sense of introspection, inviting us to reflect on the universal experience of aging. It is a potent image that transcends time.