Bondepige siddende på en sten. Titelblad til "Får" 1620 - 1683

Nicolaes Berchem created this print, "Bondepige siddende på en sten. Titelblad til "Får"", sometime in the 17th century. Berchem, a leading painter of the Dutch Golden Age, often depicted pastoral scenes reflecting the era’s romanticized view of rural life. This image presents us with two women in a seemingly simple scene, yet it’s loaded with the social and cultural expectations of its time. The 'bondepige', or peasant girl, embodies a constructed ideal, a symbol of rustic virtue, while also hinting at the economic realities of women’s labor. The act of sitting on a stone, seemingly resting, belies the constant work that defined the lives of women in agrarian societies. Berchem’s decision to depict this subject invites us to reflect on the narratives we construct around labor, gender, and the natural world. What does it mean to idealize the working class? What are the implications of framing their lives through the lens of beauty and tranquility, while simultaneously obscuring the hardships they face?