Hoofd van vrouw op medaillon aan lint en bloemen 1766 - 1831

Willem Bilderdijk made this print, showing a woman’s head on a medallion with ribbon and flowers, using etching. Flowers and ribbons here act as conventional symbols of beauty, status, and belonging, and their arrangement around a portrait medallion speaks to the social importance of portraiture in the Netherlands. This was a culture defined by its mercantile power and civic institutions. The patronage of the arts by wealthy individuals and organizations helped shape artistic production. What might the image’s message be? Is it simply a celebration of feminine beauty, or does it comment on the social structures of its time? Perhaps Bilderdijk made it to critique or support the institutions of art. To gain a deeper understanding of this print, we can turn to a range of historical resources. From the archives of art academies, to the records of merchants' guilds, to genealogical information about Bilderdijk, we can begin to understand the social and institutional contexts of its creation.