Gebirgslandschaft mit einem Waldbach, an welchem ein Angler sitzt 

Jacob Esselens made this landscape drawing with pen and brown ink, likely in the mid-17th century. The choice of materials is critical here. Brown ink, made from iron salts and tannin, was relatively inexpensive and easily available, connecting the artwork to the broader world of writing and record-keeping. Esselens's technique involved layering fine, precise lines to build up textures and tonal values, from the rough bark of the trees to the smooth surface of the rocks. The social significance is subtle but present. Landscape imagery was becoming increasingly popular among the merchant classes, who were accumulating wealth and leisure time. While ostensibly depicting nature, the drawing subtly reflects the changing economic and social landscape of the Dutch Golden Age, as people like Esselens turned to specialized materials and processes that mirrored their own growing economic and social independence. This points to the ways in which the supposedly ‘natural’ world has always been perceived through a lens of labor, politics, and consumption.