Slot Zeist c. 1679 - 1729

Hendrick Hulsbergh created this detailed etching of Slot Zeist, a grand estate, sometime before his death in 1729. The print offers us a glimpse into the architecture and social life of the Dutch elite during the early 18th century. The symmetrical layout of the buildings and the meticulously rendered figures in the courtyard speak to the order and hierarchy of the time. This idealized vision, however, obscures the labor and social inequalities that supported such lavish displays of wealth and power. Whose hands built this estate? Who maintained it? And what were their stories? Consider how the architecture itself reinforces social divisions, with the main house elevated above the surrounding structures. Although this artwork maintains traditional representations of power, it also prompts us to question the narratives that have been historically privileged.