Gezicht op Kasteel Duurstede c. 1846 - 1882

Cornelis Springer made this drawing of Duurstede Castle in the Netherlands at some point during his career. It's a preparatory sketch, made with pen and brown ink, and uses brown wash. Springer was a 19th-century artist known for his cityscapes and architectural paintings, which often romanticized older buildings. Here, we see an example of the Dutch artistic tradition of depicting architecture as a symbol of national pride and historical identity. This was especially potent in the 19th century. The choice of Duurstede Castle, a medieval structure, speaks to the fascination with the past, a common theme in Romantic art. Was Springer idealizing a period of Dutch history? Was he thinking about the politics of his own time? To answer this, we can consult archives, historical records, and studies of Dutch art and culture from this period, placing the work in its complex social and institutional context.