Ontwerp voor behangselschildering c. 1752 - 1819

This is Jurriaan Andriessen’s design for a wallpaper painting, made sometime between 1742 and 1819. Andriessen, who came from a family of decorative painters, worked during a period when the Dutch Republic was in decline. The sketch, with its monochrome palette and gridded surface, depicts an idealized, classicizing landscape with a column and figures. This work reflects the cultural elite's fascination with antiquity. It suggests a longing for a past era of glory and order. Yet, filtered through a Northern European sensibility. Consider how such idyllic scenes functioned within the homes of the Dutch elite. These images offered not just aesthetic pleasure, but also a constructed vision of harmony and leisure. They promoted a particular identity rooted in the classical tradition, and they deliberately obscured the complex realities of Dutch society. Through his design, Andriessen invites us to reflect on the roles of beauty and artifice in shaping cultural identity. What stories do we tell ourselves through the images we choose to live with?