Engelse vrouw van stand, een gordel met edelstenen om het middel

About this artwork

Engelse dame met gekruld loshangend haar, gekleed in japon met brede platte kanten kraag en kanten manchetten aan de mouwen. Om haar hals een parelketting en een juweel. Een snoer met edelstenen (?) als ceintuur om de taille. No. 2 uit de serie Ornatus Muliebris Anglicanus.

Art Historical Context

Wenceslaus Hollar, a masterful Bohemian etcher who fled religious turmoil to work in England, created *Engelse vrouw van stand een gordel met edstenen om het middel in 1640. This intimate etching (133mm × 73mm) is No. 2 from his series *Ornatusiebris Anglicanus*, celebrated collection documenting the opulent fashions of English women during the early Caroline era. Hollar precise technique captured the elegance of high society just before the English Civil War disrupted such splendor. The print depicts a poised English lady of standing with loose, curled hair framing her face. She wears a gown adorned with a wide, flat lace collar and matching lace cuffs—hallmarks of 17th-century English attire—accented by a pearl necklace, pendant jewel at her throat, and a striking gemstone belt cinched at the waist. These details highlight the era's love for lavish lace from Flanders and exotic jewels, symbols of wealth and status amid growing political tensions. Hollar's etching prowess shines in the fine lines and textures, rendering lace and gems with remarkable realism in such a compact format. As a primary visual record, the series offers invaluable insight into 1640s fashion history, bridging art and cultural documentation for costume scholars and visitors alike.

About the Artist

Wenceslaus Hollar · 1607–1677

Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) was a prolific Bohemian etcher who became one of the most accomplished printmakers of the seventeenth century. Born in Prague, he trained under Matthäus Merian in Frankfurt before entering the service of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, in 1636. Hollar spent most of his career in England, where he produced approximately 2,740 etchings documenting an extraordinary range...