Visser bij rivier 1642 - 1669

Jan Baptist de Wael created this etching, titled 'Fisherman by the River', in the Netherlands during the 17th century. It depicts a pastoral scene, but one that's subtly disrupted. We see a figure, perhaps a shepherdess, aggressively brandishing a stick at her livestock, while a fisherman gestures dramatically towards the animals. This could be a comment on the social structures of the time, particularly the relationship between rural workers and the land. The Netherlands was a society undergoing rapid economic change, with the rise of a merchant class challenging traditional hierarchies. Was de Wael trying to depict the tensions between old ways of life and new economic realities? To understand this piece better, we might look to period literature, economic data, and records from institutions such as the Guild of Saint Luke. By combining that social context with careful visual analysis, we can begin to appreciate the nuances of this seemingly simple image.