Gezicht op een vijver in de tuin van Huis ter Meer te Maarssen c. 1740

Hendrik de Leth created this print of a garden in Maarssen, the Netherlands, sometime in the first half of the 18th century. The print provides a glimpse into the formal gardens that were fashionable among the Dutch elite during this period. Note the rigid geometry, the sculpted shrubbery, and the carefully positioned statues. These elements reflected a desire to impose order on nature, reflecting the broader Enlightenment emphasis on reason and control. The presence of figures in elegant attire, strolling and riding in carriages, also speaks to the importance of leisure and display in elite society. These gardens were stages for social interaction and demonstrations of wealth and taste, mirroring the power structures of the time. Research into estate records and social histories of the Dutch elite would provide a deeper understanding of this image as a cultural artifact. It shows not just a garden, but a landscape of social meaning.