The Castle Meerdevoort, near Dordrecht 1647

Roelant Roghman created this drawing of The Castle Meerdevoort, near Dordrecht, using pen and brown ink with gray wash. It’s thought that Roghman made this drawing as part of a series of prints documenting castles and country houses in the Netherlands, often those which had fallen into disrepair. The series was commissioned during a period of relative economic decline when many aristocratic families saw their fortunes diminish. Roghman’s detailed, topographical approach to the subject matter appealed to a growing sense of national pride and interest in local history. The Meerdevoort Castle, while once a symbol of power and wealth, is here depicted with a certain melancholy. Roghman's choice to document such places speaks to a broader cultural interest in the passage of time, and the impermanence of even the most imposing structures. To fully appreciate Roghman's work, consulting historical records, architectural surveys, and social histories of the period will help to shed light on the artist’s intentions and on the culture of the Dutch Republic in the 17th century.