Ontwerp voor een tuinwand met een beeld 1700 - 1725

Simon Schijnvoet made this drawing for a garden wall in the Netherlands, sometime between the late 17th and early 18th century. It shows us how wealthy Dutch citizens wished to display their status and taste. The statue in the center of the drawing imitates classical antiquity, signaling the owner's erudition and refined tastes. This was a period of relative peace and prosperity for the Dutch Republic, the Golden Age, and there was a growth in the mercantile class. They wished to display their cultural capital, often through gardens that acted as extensions of their homes. The formal, symmetrical design and classical references of the wall, along with the expensive sculpture, would have suggested the owner’s place in society. We might look at other designs from the period, archival records of gardens, and writings about garden design, to understand the specific context for this drawing and how it reflects the social and cultural values of its time.