Context:
This pendant is made of cut paper, encased between two panels of glass. It was made in the seventeenth century, although the exact production date is unknown. The work is commonly attributed to Joanna Koerten, a renowned paper cutter, although there is no signature remaining on the piece. This work was originally located in the Netherlands, and is now on display at the British Museum. The small work was made to be worn as a pendant, and depicts St. Anthony in an outdoor scene, surrounded by detailed silhouettes of fauna and flora, and cherubs flying above. This work is a pendant, made to be worn, it was a miniature work,a common type of jewelry for women to make at the time. Elizabeth Sutton states “women did not have the same opportunities that men did to ensure either the endurance of their work or their reputations over time.” This observation is visible within this pendant, an extremely delicate work, that is one of the few surviving paper cut works. Women's crafts were not archived and preserved in the same way that fine art pieces have been. This brings us to the common issues when displaying and learning about women's work. Women were pushed into creating smaller works, like this pendant, while men were permitted to make large paintings and sculptures. These works are not preserved as well, and are hard to put on display. Works by women are also misattributed to men or marked as reproductive prints, which diminishes the female artists ability and creativity.
Subject:
This pendant depicts S.t Anthony in a forest scene, surrounded by trees, animals, and cherubs. The scene is surrounded by an intricate border, featuring vines, flowers, and eight cherubs. St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost things, travelers, and the poor. According to stanthony.org the saint is “typically portrayed holding the child of Jesus-or a lily-or a book," he can be seen holding all three in this work. The inscription above the saint reads “Finis Coronat opus” or “the end crowns the work.” The inscription below adds “sancte Antoni ora pro nobis” which translates to “St. Anthony, pray for us.”
Subject:
Paper cutting was a common art form for women in the seventeenth century, along with other mediums that have been deemed “craft,” such as needlework, printmaking, and carving. These art forms, often called the minor arts, were seen as lesser than traditional mediums like painting and sculpture. They were mostly used in everyday life and were portable and meant to be interacted with. As we can see from the name, these mediums were seen as less than, and were often sold for less money than classic fine art mediums. These fields are also made up of predominantly women, in her article An Historiographical Perspective on Women Making Netherlandish Art History Elizabeth Sutton states that “women working in the early modern Netherlands mostly worked in a space between amateur and professional,” meaning that these mediums were not taken seriously, partially because of who was making them.
Style:
The artist has used intricate paper cutting techniques that emphasized the visual depth of the scene. This can be seen in the cyclical cut marks that are used to form St. Anthony's clothes, and the shading on the flying cherubs bodies. These marks work to give the piece a more dimensional and sculptural feeling, that is especially impressive for paper cutting and a nod to the artist's skill. This has been achieved by varying the direction and depth of the cuts, to create plasticity within the work, allowing it to feel especially three dimensional. The artist has also infused the work with many textural elements such as the feathers on the birds, and the wispy branches of the foliage. These details allow the image to pop against the black negative space that has been cut away. This contrasting visual weight across the piece is what lets all of the detail and complexity be seen. The largest area of negative space is behind St. Anthony's head, the viewer's eyes are drawn to this space first, and then they notice all of the smaller details surrounding the main figure. The artist has also achieved foreground and background elements, within the delicate paper cut pendant, a further testament to the skill needed to complete this work on such a small scale.
Stella Lemmond Annotation 9
Stella Marie
Created on April 10, 2026
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Magazine dossier
View
Momentum: Onboarding Escape Game
View
Momentum: Manager Guide
View
Wizardry Letter
View
Search Bar Card
View
Piñata
View
Microlearning: When to Use Chat, Meetings or Email
Explore all templates
Transcript
Context:
This pendant is made of cut paper, encased between two panels of glass. It was made in the seventeenth century, although the exact production date is unknown. The work is commonly attributed to Joanna Koerten, a renowned paper cutter, although there is no signature remaining on the piece. This work was originally located in the Netherlands, and is now on display at the British Museum. The small work was made to be worn as a pendant, and depicts St. Anthony in an outdoor scene, surrounded by detailed silhouettes of fauna and flora, and cherubs flying above. This work is a pendant, made to be worn, it was a miniature work,a common type of jewelry for women to make at the time. Elizabeth Sutton states “women did not have the same opportunities that men did to ensure either the endurance of their work or their reputations over time.” This observation is visible within this pendant, an extremely delicate work, that is one of the few surviving paper cut works. Women's crafts were not archived and preserved in the same way that fine art pieces have been. This brings us to the common issues when displaying and learning about women's work. Women were pushed into creating smaller works, like this pendant, while men were permitted to make large paintings and sculptures. These works are not preserved as well, and are hard to put on display. Works by women are also misattributed to men or marked as reproductive prints, which diminishes the female artists ability and creativity.
Subject:
This pendant depicts S.t Anthony in a forest scene, surrounded by trees, animals, and cherubs. The scene is surrounded by an intricate border, featuring vines, flowers, and eight cherubs. St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost things, travelers, and the poor. According to stanthony.org the saint is “typically portrayed holding the child of Jesus-or a lily-or a book," he can be seen holding all three in this work. The inscription above the saint reads “Finis Coronat opus” or “the end crowns the work.” The inscription below adds “sancte Antoni ora pro nobis” which translates to “St. Anthony, pray for us.”
Subject:
Paper cutting was a common art form for women in the seventeenth century, along with other mediums that have been deemed “craft,” such as needlework, printmaking, and carving. These art forms, often called the minor arts, were seen as lesser than traditional mediums like painting and sculpture. They were mostly used in everyday life and were portable and meant to be interacted with. As we can see from the name, these mediums were seen as less than, and were often sold for less money than classic fine art mediums. These fields are also made up of predominantly women, in her article An Historiographical Perspective on Women Making Netherlandish Art History Elizabeth Sutton states that “women working in the early modern Netherlands mostly worked in a space between amateur and professional,” meaning that these mediums were not taken seriously, partially because of who was making them.
Style:
The artist has used intricate paper cutting techniques that emphasized the visual depth of the scene. This can be seen in the cyclical cut marks that are used to form St. Anthony's clothes, and the shading on the flying cherubs bodies. These marks work to give the piece a more dimensional and sculptural feeling, that is especially impressive for paper cutting and a nod to the artist's skill. This has been achieved by varying the direction and depth of the cuts, to create plasticity within the work, allowing it to feel especially three dimensional. The artist has also infused the work with many textural elements such as the feathers on the birds, and the wispy branches of the foliage. These details allow the image to pop against the black negative space that has been cut away. This contrasting visual weight across the piece is what lets all of the detail and complexity be seen. The largest area of negative space is behind St. Anthony's head, the viewer's eyes are drawn to this space first, and then they notice all of the smaller details surrounding the main figure. The artist has also achieved foreground and background elements, within the delicate paper cut pendant, a further testament to the skill needed to complete this work on such a small scale.