Helpoort te Maastricht 1830 - 1899

Alexander Schaepkens created this etching, “Helpoort te Maastricht”, using ink on paper. The Helpoort, or Hell’s Gate, was constructed in Maastricht, Netherlands in the 13th century. It is the oldest city gate in the country. In the middle ages, city gates acted as ports of entry for commerce and points of contact for outsiders, and also served as fortifications and defensive structures. Schaepkens’s atmospheric rendering of the gate shows the influence of Dutch Romanticism. The image presents the gate not only as a historical artifact, but as a space in which daily life unfolds. We see people traversing the opening, going about their day. To understand Schaepkens's image more fully, we might consult historical records and city plans to learn more about the gate's changing function over time and the cultural significance of Maastricht. Only then can we appreciate the complex social dimensions of this seemingly simple work.