Herder bij een watermolen Possibly 1630 - 1717

Anthonie Waterloo created this etching of a herder by a watermill in the Netherlands sometime in the 17th century. The scene depicts an idealized view of rural life, with grazing animals and a rustic watermill nestled amidst lush trees. Waterloo was part of a generation of Dutch artists who turned to landscape as a primary subject. This reflected a broader cultural shift. As the Dutch Republic grew in economic and political power, there was a growing interest in celebrating the local landscape as a source of national pride and identity. The art market in the Netherlands was booming and artists were no longer solely dependent on aristocratic patronage. They were increasingly producing work for a middle-class audience eager to decorate their homes with images of their surroundings. To understand Waterloo's etching fully, we can research the economic conditions of 17th-century Holland, the changing role of the artist in Dutch society, and the rise of landscape as an independent genre. Art is always embedded in a specific social and institutional context.