The Huis ten Bosch at The Hague and Its Formal Garden (View from the East) 1668 - 1670

Jan van der Heyden created this oil on canvas painting, titled "The Huis ten Bosch at The Hague and Its Formal Garden (View from the East)" which shows the royal palace surrounded by an elaborate garden. Made in the Netherlands, the painting reflects the cultural values of the Dutch Golden Age. The formal garden, with its structured layout and precisely trimmed hedges, symbolizes the Dutch emphasis on order, control, and prosperity. This focus on order extends into governance, as this was a period in which the Dutch Republic was a major economic and political power in Europe. The figures strolling through the garden, dressed in fashionable attire, represent the wealthy merchant class that drove the Dutch economy and supported the arts. Looking at archives of the period such as city plans and tax records can reveal the ways the painting reflects the values and social structures of its time.