Gezicht op ridderhofstad Broekhuizen 1773 - 1792

Hendrik Spilman created this print of Gezicht op ridderhofstad Broekhuizen, or View of Broekhuizen Manor, using etching and burin. During the 18th century in the Netherlands, there was a cultural fascination with country estates, symbols of wealth and power during the Dutch Golden Age. But this image isn't just a neutral depiction. It actively promotes a specific vision of rural life. The Broekhuizen Manor represents a certain social order, one where the elite live in harmony with the land and its people. But we might also ask, whose stories are missing from this idyllic picture? What about the labor that sustains this estate? Or the lives of those excluded from its privileges? This work invites us to consider how landscapes can be powerful tools for shaping our understanding of history, class, and social identity. It prompts us to look beyond the surface and question what’s left unseen.