Figuren en boerenkarren bij een herberg 1688 - 1690

Jan Vincentsz. van der Vinne created this print, "Figures and Carts by an Inn," sometime between the late 17th and early 18th centuries, an era marked by significant social stratification in the Dutch Republic. The scene, bustling with figures around a roadside inn, offers a glimpse into the daily lives of different social classes. We see evidence of trade and travel, alongside the leisure activities of the well-to-do. This was a time of relative economic prosperity, but also of stark inequalities. The Dutch Golden Age also saw the rise of merchant power. The print invites us to reflect on how social hierarchies were both reinforced and navigated within the landscape. Van der Vinne captures a moment of intersection, where different worlds converge. Perhaps even inviting us to consider the stories of those whose lives remain unseen, their histories intertwined with the land and the society it sustains.