Gezicht op de Porte Saint-Antoine 1671 - 1695

Adam Perelle made this print of the Porte Saint-Antoine in Paris sometime in the late 17th century. As a topographical view, it documents a particular place at a particular time. But it also encodes hierarchies of social status in its very design. The Porte Saint-Antoine itself was a structure commissioned by the royal family, as a monument to their own power. Perelle's decision to depict it from this perspective, with the gate elevated over the figures in the foreground, reinforces this sense of authority. At the same time, the print presents a lively scene of Parisian life, with people from all walks of life going about their business. The figures are carefully differentiated by their clothing and activities, suggesting a complex social order. To truly understand this print, we might turn to period maps, architectural plans, and social histories of Paris. These sources would help us to reconstruct the city as it was and to understand the place of the Porte Saint-Antoine within it.