Tuin met grote ronde parterre en vier kleinere perken 1615

Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by this feeling of intricate order, the sheer meticulousness of the design. It's a very controlled, almost unsettling landscape. Editor: I can see that. The drawing before us, "Tuin met grote ronde parterre en vier kleinere perken", dating back to 1615, embodies precisely that sentiment. What is so important here, it represents the architectural landscaping in that era. How landscapes like these, reflect privilege and class. Curator: Absolutely. The social history is palpable, isn't it? It speaks to the politics of leisure, power made visible through landscape. I also notice, this appears to be an engraving? It is such a precise art form in and of itself. Editor: Precisely, this medieval drawing uses the engraving medium, we get this incredible amount of detail that, from my perspective, adds to the mood you picked up on earlier. It’s fascinating how a drawing, which is technically just a plan for a garden, conveys such strong political messaging when situated in history. Curator: How do you interpret that center, that raised area? Is it an allusion to a central source of power, or is it perhaps representing knowledge, as though the person at the centre of the maze has insight the other does not? I mean the identity of the author, sadly remains anonymous, leaving even more space to ask the question on context. Editor: Both seem like entirely viable ideas, it would take further study into landscaping, design and even the class politics, gender, race during the era, and through sociological context we can hopefully gain further insight, Curator: So, next time you are in a garden that is geometrically formal like this, stop and think; Who did they let in, and who did they keep out? Editor: Definitely. What appears to be a relaxing recreational garden, may tell a complex background story we have not yet even uncovered.