Gezicht op de tuin en vijver van huis Petersburg 1719

Daniël Stopendaal created this print titled "View of the garden and pond of the house Petersburg". Stopendaal made this piece during a time when the Dutch Golden Age was fading, and societal structures were still very much shaped by class. What strikes me is the formal depiction of nature and the clear class divisions. Notice the regimented garden, a stark contrast to the wildness of nature. This reflects a desire to control and order the environment, mirroring the social hierarchies of the time. We see finely dressed figures strolling, a visual representation of the elite enjoying leisure, while their wealth relies on the labor of those not pictured. The highly stylized garden becomes a stage upon which the wealthy perform their status. This image provides a glimpse into the rigid social structures of the time, and the ways in which wealth and status were displayed. The garden, a symbol of control and order, reveals much about the values of the society that created it.