Groep mensen bij fontein 1630 - 1654

This etching by Cornelis de Wael, created between 1630 and 1654, depicts a group of people gathered around a fountain. The fountain features a statue of a woman with two cherubs, while a man’s head, seemingly emerging from the fountain, spews water. Below, the inscription “JDD Guilelmo Van der straten Venustas hasce imagines C de Wael amoris dicat” (translated as “To Guilelmo van der Straten, Venustas, the images were made with love by C. de Wael”) suggests the work was commissioned for a patron. The etching’s realistic rendering and the inscription provide insight into the artistic practice and patronage of 17th-century Northern Europe.