Landschap met hengelaars c. 1663 - 1726

Moise Jean Baptiste Fouard created this landscape with anglers as an etching sometime between 1668 and 1726. The print depicts a calm river scene overlooked by a formidable fortress. In the foreground, figures engage in the leisurely pursuit of fishing. The castle in the background may well have been a specific building that Fouard would have been familiar with in the region in which he lived. But these kinds of landscapes were very popular with printmakers at the time, who found a ready market for their work among middle-class collectors who were keen to decorate their homes with images of beautiful views. For the historian, prints such as this are fascinating documents that can reveal a great deal about the way people viewed their environment and the rise of new visual cultures at this time. Archival records, census data, and estate inventories would provide more information about the social status and cultural context of Fouard's audience.