Eén van de beelden uit de Vierschaar door Artus Quellinus in het stadhuis van Amsterdam 1860 - 1861

Isaac Gosschalk created this sketch of one of Artus Quellinus's sculptures for the Amsterdam Town Hall. It was drawn during a time of significant shifts in Dutch society, as the country grappled with modernization and its colonial legacy. The sketch captures a sculpture that was part of a larger ensemble intended to project power and authority. Think about what it means to depict justice, or power, or virtue through the human form. How might such representations uphold or challenge existing social hierarchies? How do the bodies represented reflect the values of a culture, or perpetuate particular ideas about who belongs, and who is excluded? Gosschalk's sketch invites us to reflect on the narratives we tell about ourselves through art. It reminds us that these stories are never neutral; they always carry the weight of history, identity, and power.