Titelprent van serie gezichten in en om de stad Danzig 1625

Aegidius Dickmann created this print of cityscapes in and around Danzig in 1625. The print, with its Latin inscriptions and carefully rendered scenes, offers a window into the socio-cultural landscape of the early 17th century. The imagery presents a meticulously ordered world, reflecting the values of a society structured by class and commerce. Yet, these images of prosperity and order also subtly reveal the contradictions inherent in the lives of the inhabitants. The well-dressed figures who frame the cityscape, for instance, stand in stark contrast to the laborers and the beggars that populate the street scenes below. Through Dickmann's detailed rendering, we are invited to reflect on the complex relationship between those who prosper and those who are excluded. The artist's choices encourage us to consider whose stories are told and whose are omitted from the historical record. What do we make of the fact that the artist centers the town, but only includes the wealthy inhabitants?