Hoge heggen en maliebaan in het park van Enghien 1685

Romeyn de Hooghe made this print of the park of Enghien, sometime between 1645 and 1708. The park with its high hedges and tree-lined avenue leading to a distant pavilion, was a display of aristocratic power. De Hooghe’s image creates meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations that would have been easily understood at the time. The formal gardens were meant to be a demonstration of control over nature, reflecting the social hierarchy of the time. The figures leisurely strolling or playing games were members of the elite, and the gardens themselves were off limits to the public. As historians, we use such prints, along with letters, diaries, and other archival sources, to better understand the social conditions that shaped artistic production, and the ways that art can reflect and reinforce social norms.