'Het Huys in het Bos', in: Tooneel Der Voornaamste Nederlands Huizen, En Lust Hoven, Naar T Leven Afgebeeld 1660 - 1693

This print, made by Carel Allard around the turn of the 18th century, depicts ‘Het Huys in het Bos,’ the House in the Woods. It illustrates a powerful family residence, but most significant is the dominant presence of the surrounding nature. The forest, since ancient times, has held symbolic weight. It is a place of mystery, danger, and transformation, often associated with the subconscious mind. Think of the enchanted forests in fairy tales, like those encountered by Hansel and Gretel, or the dark woods of Dante's Inferno. Even in Allard's time, the forest retained this symbolic power, even as cultivated gardens became fashionable status symbols. In this print, the forest isn't tamed; it's a wild presence, a reminder of the primal forces that surround and penetrate even the most refined human spaces. This tension between the domestic and the wild reflects the ongoing dialogue between civilization and our own untamed nature. Thus, the house in the woods remains a potent symbol, a cyclical return to the place where humanity confronts its deepest, most instinctual self.