Gezicht op Neurenberg (blad 2) 1666

This detailed etching, *View of Nuremberg (sheet 2)*, was created in the 17th century by Dirk Eversen Lons. Lons's depiction of Nuremberg is more than just a city portrait; it invites us to consider the social stratifications embedded within its walls. See the cluster of figures in the foreground, their backs turned to us, their garments suggesting the attire of the period's middle class or merchants. Positioned as viewers before the view, they are at once part of and separate from the city's life. Lons captures Nuremberg as a place of commerce and governance but there is a disquieting presence too. To the right, observe the gallows, a stark reminder of justice and control. The lone figure walking toward it could be anyone, perhaps a worker heading to their trade or someone facing dire circumstances. In Lons’s Nuremberg, we are presented with a society of contrasts, a city of both commerce and control. The emotional weight rests in the silent acknowledgment of a social order that defined every individual's place.