Het Hof te Rijnsburg 1731 - 1732

This delicate pencil drawing, “Het Hof te Rijnsburg”, was created by Abraham de Haen the Younger. De Haen lived during a period of significant social and economic change in the Netherlands. As you look at this simple sketch, consider the life of the artist. Born into a world of burgeoning capitalism, as an artist he would have been dependent on wealthy patrons. Perhaps the artist himself felt the burden of economic inequality, stuck between social classes. What does it mean to be an artist sketching the homes of the wealthy, while likely experiencing his own financial struggles? Here we have a window into Dutch society, class divisions on display through the simple act of sketching. In its quiet way, this drawing is a potent reminder of the social dynamics at play during the Dutch Golden Age.