Twee vrouwen met portretmedaillon c. 1660 - 1670

Curator: I find myself strangely moved by this delicate engraving, "Two Women with Portrait Medallion" dating from approximately 1660-1670, currently held in the Rijksmuseum collection. It’s attributed to Nicolas Pierre Loir, an artist who excelled in this refined Baroque style. The two figures are almost overwhelmed by ornament. Editor: My immediate sense is that this image is a representation of female support – physically and figuratively. I read this composition through the historical lens of gendered labor where women served as cornerstones. Curator: Interesting. I immediately see that, but from a visual standpoint, those two women seem like they’re more an embellishment than a structural necessity in the work’s composition, propping up the central medallion. Look at the vase overflowing with foliage above the framed bust; it overwhelms any singular, authoritative symbolism with the idea of abundance, beauty, perhaps even a feminine ideal of bounty. Editor: Indeed, yet observe how that “bounty” is visually sanctioned, placed under patriarchal watch. What are the symbols for beauty without a history of control and hierarchy? The work performs the very oppression it almost conceals in prettiness. Curator: Isn’t that exactly the role of visual symbols? They cloak the mundane and elevate the ordinary to convey complex truths. The draped women at the base serve a classical allusion – their placement suggests strength, bearing, alluding to allegorical figures, Caryatids perhaps? The mind wanders through classical architectural motifs. Editor: While acknowledging the classical references, these representations demand we question: Strength for whom? What sociopolitical structure relies on women, unseen? Who, by extension, reaps symbolic dividends? We cannot passively consume idealized portraits of support when it is actually exploiting certain demographics for socio-economic ends. Curator: An interesting and provocative point of view to conclude with – I may never see the "Two Women with Portrait Medallion" the same again! Thank you. Editor: Thanks to you too. Every dialogue is a step toward visibility.