De provincie Zuid-Holland. 620000 inwoners 1850 - 1881

Willem Bal created this print, "De provincie Zuid-Holland. 620000 inwoners," at an unknown date using an unspecified printing technique. The composition is divided into quadrants, each presenting a distinct view—a map, a building, an interior and a statue. The limited colour palette unifies these disparate images, yet each scene is rendered with different spatial logics. Linear perspective in the building and interior views contrasts sharply with the flat, diagrammatic quality of the map. This juxtaposition destabilizes any singular reading. Are we meant to understand the province through its geography, architecture, or cultural symbols? The print resists a fixed meaning, inviting viewers to navigate its fragmented representation. This challenges any cohesive understanding, highlighting the constructed nature of regional identity. Notice how the work undermines established meanings, inviting us to consider the shifting and subjective ways a place can be known and represented.