Herder en een vrouw met koeien en schapen 1768

Cornelis van Noorde made this etching of a herder, woman, cows, and sheep in the Netherlands, sometime in the late eighteenth century. It presents an image of rural life, but it's worth asking what function that image served at the time. This was a period when the Dutch economy was in decline, and when the elites were eager to preserve traditional social hierarchies. The art market in the Netherlands was dominated by nostalgic scenes of an idealised past. Van Noorde himself was a member of Haarlem's Guild of Saint Luke, which played a role in regulating artistic production. The etching may have offered an escape from the social tensions of the period, but as historians, we must consider the power relations that such idealized images often conceal. Researching the institutions and cultural norms of the Dutch Republic during this period is essential for understanding this artwork's meaning and social function.