Rust in het bos c. 1650

Maximiliaan van der Gucht wove this large tapestry, titled ‘Rust in het bos’, sometime in the 17th century. The tapestry depicts a hunting scene, a popular subject for the Dutch elite, suggesting wealth, status, and connection to the court. Tapestries like these served as status symbols, demonstrating the patron’s wealth, taste, and cultural refinement and were often commissioned to celebrate important events or display family history. We can see how the artist has used visual codes, such as the clothing, horses, and hunting scene, to communicate messages about social class and power. The figures are dressed in elaborate garments, showcasing their status and demonstrating their leisure time, supported by others labor. To understand this artwork better, one might investigate the social and economic conditions that led to the rise of the Dutch merchant class and their patronage of the arts, as well as the symbolism associated with hunting in the 17th century.