Landschap met een huis op een steiger in de buurt van Sint-Petersburg 1764

Jean Baptist Leprince made this print, A Landscape with a House on a Jetty near Saint Petersburg, using etching. The image presents a rustic view of the Russian landscape, dedicated to a high-ranking French official. Leprince, a painter and etcher, spent several years in Russia, employed by Catherine the Great. The print reflects the 18th-century European fascination with Russia, then seen as both exotic and strategically important. The dedication suggests the print may have been intended to circulate among the French elite, reinforcing cultural and political ties. The depiction of a simple house and working figures reflects the Enlightenment interest in the ‘natural’ life of the common people. Yet, this idealized view likely obscures the realities of serfdom and social inequality prevalent in Russia at the time. Historical research into Leprince’s biography, the political context of Russo-French relations, and the social history of 18th-century Russia would shed more light on the print’s original meaning and purpose. The power of this image lies in its ability to connect us to a pivotal moment in European history.