Ontwerp voor decoraties op een muur 17th century

This is Jacob van Campen’s "Ontwerp voor decoraties op een muur," an undated design made with pen in brown and brush in gray. Van Campen, a leading figure in Dutch Classicism, was deeply influenced by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, whose work revived classical forms and ideals of harmony and order. Here we see the influence of classical motifs in the symmetrical arrangement of panels framed by garlands and putti. These figures suggest innocence and purity, yet their nakedness also brings to mind the male gaze that characterized much of classical and Renaissance art. Below, a scene of labor unfolds, hinting at the social hierarchies that underpinned Dutch society during the Golden Age. This drawing, in its display of wealth and power, also tells a story about the labor and exploitation that enabled such displays. It reminds us that even the most beautiful designs can carry complex and sometimes troubling histories.