Beeld van naakte vrouw, liggend op een bankkussen c. 1657 - 1658

Moses ter Borch made this drawing of a nude woman lying on a cushioned bench, with pen in gray ink and brush in gray, in the Netherlands in the mid-17th century. The work draws on a well-established visual code of representing the female nude in Western art, and it likely reflects the Dutch Republic's growing engagement with classical themes and artistic conventions. Ter Borch’s access to models and training would have been shaped by the artistic institutions of his time, likely influenced by the guilds that regulated artistic production. This classical depiction of the reclining nude also resonates with the broader societal attitudes toward beauty and the body during this period, and the artist's choice to represent this subject matter may reflect a progressive or conservative stance within that social context. The Rijksmuseum's curatorial records, along with period art theory texts, will help us understand this work and its significance. With these resources, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the social conditions that shaped artistic production in the Dutch Golden Age.