Gezicht op de fonteinen van Rochefoucauld 1631 - 1691

Israel Silvestre created this print of the fountains of Rochefoucauld in France sometime in the latter half of the 17th century. This image gives us a glimpse into the leisure and aesthetics of the French aristocracy during the reign of Louis XIV. Silvestre’s engraving depicts an elaborately designed garden, complete with geometrically arranged trees and an imposing tiered fountain. Note the fashionable figures strolling and reclining, their presence underscoring the garden's function as a space for social display. France, at this time, was a rigidly hierarchical society. Gardens such as this, were potent symbols of control over nature and, by extension, society. To truly understand this print, we need to consider the historical context. Sources such as period accounts, estate records, and landscape design treatises can reveal much about the garden’s original design and social function. Through careful historical analysis, we can begin to decode the politics of imagery and appreciate the ways in which art both reflects and shapes the world around it.