Gezicht op hunebedden in Drenthe 1711

Jacobus Schijnvoet's etching depicts a ‘Gezicht op hunebedden in Drenthe’ or view of dolmens in Drenthe, made in the Netherlands in the first half of the 18th century. These megalithic monuments, built thousands of years before Schijnvoet’s time, evoked wonder and speculation. The print presents us with an image of curiosity and encounter. In the foreground, we see well-dressed figures, perhaps landowners or scholars, engaging with local inhabitants, identifiable by their dress. To the right is another well-dressed man riding a horse in the distance and in the center common folk are working on the dolmen structure. This hints at the beginnings of archaeological interest, but also speaks to a broader cultural fascination with the past. The work encourages us to ask questions about the relationship between the present and the past. What did these monuments mean to the people of the 18th century? How did they understand their connection to this ancient landscape? By consulting historical maps, travel accounts, and early archaeological studies, we can begin to reconstruct the world in which Schijnvoet’s image was created and consider the emergence of a historical consciousness in the Dutch Republic.