Buste van een vrouw met hoofddoek 1655 - 1700

Jan van Somer created this small monochrome mezzotint, "Buste van een vrouw met hoofddoek," using a technique that allows for rich tonal variations. Although the date of its creation is unknown, to me, this portrait evokes the complex social position of women and fashion in the 17th and 18th centuries. The headscarf, carefully draped, frames the woman’s face, drawing our eye to her classical features. It also perhaps suggests modesty, while simultaneously hinting at the subject's status. The identity of the sitter is lost to us, but the artist's choice to depict her in profile, reminiscent of ancient Roman portraiture, suggests an effort to ennoble the subject. What stories might she have told about her life? This print invites us to consider how women’s identities have been shaped by both constraint and self-expression.