Plattegrond van de Botanische Tuin, te Oxford 1707

This undated print depicts the plan of the Botanic Garden in Oxford using etching. The structured layout into four distinct quadrants is immediately striking. This division, reminiscent of ancient Roman gardens, reflects a deep-seated human desire to impose order on nature, a concept stretching back to the Garden of Eden, symbolizing humanity’s attempt to regain paradise through cultivation. The geometric patterns of the flowerbeds echo the labyrinthine designs found in Minoan Crete, spaces meant not just for beauty, but also for contemplative wandering. Consider how these garden designs appear in diverse contexts, from Persian paradise gardens to the Renaissance villas, each transformation carries the cultural and psychological aspirations of its time. The enclosed nature of the garden, bounded by walls, evokes the concept of the 'hortus conclusus,' a medieval symbol of purity and sanctuary. This motif evolves through the ages, appearing in devotional paintings and secular love poems alike, each time imbuing the garden with a sense of protected, idealized space. Like a recurring dream, this image engages our collective memory, reminding us of the timeless human impulse to create and inhabit spaces of beauty, order, and contemplation.