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Cornelis Visscher

The Bohemian Woman

c. 1656-58
Engraving on ivory laid paper
37.4 × 31.8 cm (14.7 × 12.5 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Unlike his contemporaries in 17th-century Holland, Cornelis Visscher adopted engraving rather than etching as his main form of artistic production. Viewed as a master of the complex technique, he made works that were praised and collected. The peasants shown in Visscher’s scenes are both rugged and nearly facetious. His Bohemian Woman depicts a mother acting as a balance beam for three animated children—all demanding some form of attention from her. The combination of her exposed breast with suckling infant, approaching hunters, and an oddly placed whimsical backdrop is disconcerting but simultaneously all the more intriguing in its incongruity.

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