Fontein van de kunsten 1672 - 1686

This print, *Fontein van de kunsten*, was created by Louis de Châtillon, an artist born in France in 1639. Drawn during the height of the Baroque era, the print encapsulates the grandiose aesthetics and theatricality characteristic of that period. But it also reveals the hierarchies that defined 17th-century European society. Note how the classical figures, symbols of high culture and learning, are placed above the common folk, embodying the era's rigid social stratification. This fountain is not merely a source of water, but a source of knowledge, creativity, and power—an idea that resonates with the elitist ideals of the time, yet it is undeniably beautiful, inviting us to ponder the complex relationship between art, power, and society.