Aankomst bij een landhuis 1661

Gesina ter Borch created this watercolor titled 'Arrival at a Manor House' in the Netherlands. The artwork depicts a scene of social hierarchy and the roles within the family sphere. The arrival at the manor house is illustrated with attention to the social classes, which was a central preoccupation of the 17th-century Dutch society. The man standing on the balcony seems to be the landlord, and the workers greet the family arriving in a decorated carriage. The artist also included details of the family, animals and their estate to add to the narrative. As historians, we often look at sources such as letters, diaries, and account books, to reconstruct the cultural context in which art was made. By looking at the details within the artwork and combining them with research, we can understand its role as a commentary on the social structures of its time.