Acht duiven 1662

Wenceslaus Hollar, a 17th century Bohemian printmaker, created this etching titled 'Eight Doves', where he delicately details the textures of feathers, fruit, and cloth. Hollar lived through the tumult of the Thirty Years' War and was displaced from his homeland, finding patronage in England. The dualities of his personal history – displacement and assimilation – echo in the artwork. The formal Latin inscription suggests an audience of educated elites, yet Hollar's accessible visual language invites a broader viewership. The doves act as a symbol of peace and the garlands indicate status. How might Hollar, an exile himself, be commenting on belonging and exclusion, through this lens? The image encapsulates a tension between the universal appeal of nature and the specific social context in which it was created, reminding us of the complex layers of identity.