Gezicht op kasteel Rochefoucauld en tuin met parterres 1656

Israel Silvestre created this print of the Rochefoucauld castle and gardens sometime between 1640 and 1690. Silvestre was a draughtsman and printmaker to Louis XIV, so we might consider how the monarchy and aristocracy operated within a very visible theatre of power. The image shows the grand estate and manicured gardens, a potent symbol of wealth, status, and power. Note, at the bottom of the image, a group of figures pulling what appears to be a noble in a cart. Silvestre is reminding us that such aristocratic luxury came at the price of labor. What do the bodies of the working class mean when read against the architecture of the elite? Do we see here an early articulation of the class struggle that would later define France? This print invites us to consider the relationships between labor, leisure, and social hierarchy in 17th-century France, urging us to reflect on the human cost of aristocratic opulence and consider the silent stories embedded in the facade of power.