Eend in een plas met op de achtergrond een kasteel 1870 - 1909

This small print depicts a duck in a pond with a castle in the background, made by H. Berthier using an etching technique. The image is rich in cultural references and historical associations. Castles often symbolize power, aristocracy, and the feudal systems of the past. The duck, by contrast, is an emblem of nature, perhaps a reminder of simpler times. We can imagine that this work was made in a period of industrialization and urbanization, where these natural images offered an escape from the realities of the modern world. The work itself could be seen as commenting on the social structures of its time. Was the artist self-consciously conservative or progressive? Did he critique the institutions of art? Historians of art use a wide range of resources to understand its context. Letters, archives, and other historical documents help to give us a better understanding. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.