Portret van een vrouw (Jenneken?) c. 1670 - 1687

Gesina ter Borch rendered this portrait of a woman, possibly named Jenneken, in watercolor. Her attire, with its high collar and elaborate sleeves, speaks to a sense of status in 17th-century fashion. Yet, it's the fan she delicately holds that captures our attention. Throughout history, the fan has served as more than a simple tool for cooling; it's a subtle yet powerful symbol of femininity and social grace. One can trace its presence across cultures, from ancient Egypt, where fans symbolized royalty, to the courts of Europe, where they became instruments of flirtation and coded communication. The gesture of holding a fan can convey a range of emotions, from modesty to coyness, engaging the viewer in a psychological dance of interpretation. These visual cues trigger a response deep within our collective memory, echoing the timeless interplay between concealment and revelation. And so, the fan in Jenneken's hand, a seemingly simple accessory, becomes a vessel of history, a silent messenger bridging past and present, inviting us to contemplate the enduring power of symbols in shaping our understanding of self and society.