Boom 1731

Abraham de Haen the Younger made this drawing, simply entitled "Boom," or "Tree," using pen in the Netherlands sometime in the first half of the 18th century. The work is located in an album with 45 drawings, and the album has been disassembled. During this period the Dutch Republic was already past its Golden Age, and the society was highly stratified, with a clear hierarchy of social classes and a strong emphasis on status and reputation. But while the Dutch economy was declining, wealthy Dutch merchants and aristocrats continued to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, which included collecting art. As a historian, I would want to know more about the sketchbook this drawing was made in, to whom it belonged, and how it was used. By exploring archival records, family papers, and other historical documents, it may be possible to reconstruct the social milieu in which this image was created and viewed. The meaning of art is always contingent on its historical and institutional context.