Woman with circular lace ruff 1644

Wenceslaus Hollar created this print, "Woman with circular lace ruff", in 1644. The composition centres on the sitter's face framed by a rigid, circular ruff, which dominates the image and draws our eye. The subject is contained within a further circle, creating a sense of enclosure. The sharp lines of the ruff contrast with the softer shading of the woman's face, highlighting the artificiality of courtly fashion. Hollar's meticulous technique captures the texture of the lace, but it also emphasizes the restrictive nature of such garments. The ruff, in effect, functions as a signifier of status, literally framing the face and suggesting an artificial barrier between the subject and the world. Notice how Hollar's use of line and form communicates a critical perspective on the performative aspects of aristocratic identity. The circular shape of the ruff and the enclosing frame destabilize conventional notions of beauty, suggesting that meaning is constructed through artifice and social codes.