Nicolas Perelle made this etching, *Landscape with Two Figures by a Brook*, in the second half of the 17th century. The print is one of a series of landscapes, a popular genre at the time across Europe. The image presents us with an idealised view of nature, a scene in which figures are dwarfed by trees and topography. The natural world is the main subject and the figures appear to be enjoying its pleasures, however there is a third, implied presence here. Can you see the distant building? In whose land are these figures relaxing? The answer can only be found by looking at the material conditions of the time. We know that land ownership in 17th-century France was highly unequal and that the vast majority of the population was excluded from enjoying the pleasures of the countryside. These kinds of historical contradictions can only be revealed through close art historical research.