Caspar Netscher met zijn vrouw en zoon in een open raam 1772

This engraving by François Anne David depicts Caspar Netscher with his wife and son. Netscher was a Dutch portrait painter during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by unprecedented economic growth and cultural flourishing in the Netherlands. David's rendering freezes the Netscher family in a moment of serene domesticity, a common theme in Dutch art reflecting middle-class values and a sense of national identity. The family is framed by an open window, a motif used during the Dutch Golden Age to blur the boundaries between private and public life. Consider how class is represented here. This engraving immortalizes a family that, due to the economic boom, could afford such a luxury. David’s engraving not only reflects the values of a society but also shapes how it sees itself. It invites us to reflect on the intersections of personal identity and societal norms in 18th-century Dutch culture.