Riviergezicht met kalkovens 1742 - 1784

Hendrik Spilman made this etching, "River View with Lime Kilns", in the Netherlands during the 18th century. It depicts a busy scene of daily life centered around the river, with boats and kilns dominating the composition. The lime kilns were essential to the Dutch economy, producing lime for construction and agriculture. Here they create a social tableau, with workers going about their labor. Lime production was often a local industry, tightly bound to a region's natural resources. The image thus speaks to Dutch culture and the land. The river, full of traffic, underscores the importance of waterways to trade and transportation in this period. Spilman's choice of such subject matter reflects the growing interest in depicting everyday life among Dutch artists. By studying such images alongside economic records, local histories, and technical drawings, we come to understand the social fabric of the Netherlands and how its artists visualized the landscape.