Gezicht op Paleis Het Loo vanaf de tuinen 1689 - 1702

Laurens Scherm made this print of Paleis Het Loo, or Het Loo Palace, in the Netherlands, sometime around the turn of the 18th century. It offers a bird’s eye view of the palace from its gardens. The palace, built in the late 17th century, served as a country residence for the House of Orange-Nassau. Prints like this one were important tools in the fashioning of national identity. Note the formal garden, with its symmetrical layout, manicured hedges, and classical statuary. It’s meant to evoke a sense of order, rationality, and control over nature, all values associated with the Enlightenment and the rise of modern states. The artist reinforces this idea by placing the viewer in a high vantage point, emphasizing the scope and scale of the palace and its grounds. To understand this print better, we can look at historical documents, architectural plans, and garden designs from the period. By understanding the social and institutional context of the work we can appreciate how art and architecture play a role in shaping cultural values.