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About This Work
This engraving depicts a traditional scene of chiromancy, where an aged woman in weathered garments examines the hand of a wealthy, fashionable young woman. Flanking the central figures are secondary observers, including a figure in a broad hat and a partially obscured woman with a child. The gnarled tree above provides a stark contrast to the youthful vitality of the client, emphasizing the temporal gap between the seer and the seeker.
The print engages with the early modern fascination for illicit or folk methods of divination—specifically chiromancy (palmistry)—which were frequently debated in the context of natural philosophy and the limits of human knowledge. It serves as a visual record of the intersection between social performance and the occult practice of predicting fate.
Inscriptions(Latin)
JG [monogram of Jacques de Gheyn II] N. de Clerck ex. Cui media turget Dextra, dan [?] modican gerit Qui, ritu vanilo, & hic rimia sperat ; Atque occultam veridice cavis Notis : Future discit qua placent, et hoc reumat.