Antonetta Wtewael 

Joachim Wtewael painted this portrait of Antonetta Wtewael, sometime in the early 17th century, using oil on panel. Portraits like this one were important status symbols in the Netherlands at this time, especially among the rising merchant classes. Antonetta’s elaborate lace collar, gilded dress, and jewelry all speak to her family’s wealth and position. The book on the table suggests learning and piety, while the family crest in the background roots her in a specific social history. Wtewael was a Mannerist painter working in Utrecht, a city that remained Catholic longer than the rest of the Netherlands. Although he accepted commissions from both Catholic and Protestant patrons, his religious convictions are reflected in his idealized approach to portraiture. Looking closer, one might ask what visual and material sources Wtewael drew upon, or whether the sitter's dress was typical of urban fashion in the Netherlands. These are the kinds of questions that social historians ask to understand the complex relationship between art and life.