Whixley, plate 78 from Britannia Illustrata Possibly 1707

Johannes Kip created this print of “Whixley” in the early 18th century as part of his “Britannia Illustrata,” a collection of views of Great Britain’s important estates. Here, Kip presents a bird's-eye view of Whixley Hall, a country house in Yorkshire, England, complete with meticulously designed gardens and grounds. The image speaks to the social and economic structures of the time, where land ownership and display of wealth were central to aristocratic identity. We can see this in the scale of the house and in the almost absurd control exerted over the natural environment. Britannia Illustrata was commissioned to celebrate and document the power of the British aristocracy. But it also served an institutional function, visually reinforcing social hierarchies and norms. As art historians, we can examine estate records, maps, and other visual sources to understand the complex relationship between art, power, and society in early modern Britain. The meaning of this print is thus contingent on its historical and social context.