Woman with Two Baskets of Fruit and a Cherry Branch, Gesina ter Borch, c. 1652
brush, h 301mm × w 195mm More details
The motto at the bottom of the sheet explains the connection between the drawing of a woman carrying fruit and Jacob Cats’ poem about chastity. After all, it is better to pick fruit yourself than to accept ‘pearsthat have already been plucked,’ alluding to promiscuity. In this early drawing, Gesina ter Borch opted for a simple illustration to accompany the text. Years later, in her Poëzie-album (Poetry Album), she would provide the same poem with a more complex composition.
