Portret van een dame met hoed, tegen een muur 1878 - 1944

Editor: So, here we have "Portrait of a Lady with a Hat, against a Wall" by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, sometime between 1878 and 1944. It's a pencil drawing at the Rijksmuseum. The image has a rather tentative quality... it looks like it could be a study for something larger, but maybe that was its final form? What do you see in this piece? Curator: It reads like a coded visual manuscript to me. Observe how the figure is positioned against the brick wall – a very specific, constructed backdrop. What might the brick symbolize? Perhaps the foundational structures of society, or even the confinement within its norms? Editor: That’s a cool point about the bricks! I was sort of dismissing them as a backdrop but your take adds something else. Curator: And the hat! Notice its intricate design. Millinery in portraits of this era can symbolize status, but also disguise. Is the lady defined by the hat, or hidden by it? The symbolism speaks of layered identities and perhaps, even veiled expectations. Editor: So the objects become almost like a language… almost as significant as the subject of the portrait. Is there also a conversation about societal expectations within the piece too? Curator: Precisely! It invites us to consider not just who this lady is, but also how societal norms have shaped her presentation and perhaps even her self-perception. Every line and shading adds another layer of meaning, and this makes it into something profound beyond the basic subject. Editor: That gives me so much to consider the next time I encounter portraits from this time period. Thanks for pointing that out. Curator: Absolutely! It’s always enriching to see art through the lens of cultural symbols.