Gezicht op Fulda 1624

This print, titled "Gezicht op Fulda," was created by Daniel Sudermann, who lived between 1550 and 1631. The image offers us a glimpse into the socio-economic hierarchies of the 16th and early 17th centuries. In the foreground, a farmer toils, pushing a plough through the soil, while a horse and rider pass him by. The contrast between the physical labor of the peasant and the ease of the mounted figure speaks volumes about the distribution of power. The walled city of Fulda rises in the background, a symbol of the established order, both secular and religious. Sudermann was working in a time of religious conflict and social upheaval. Consider, then, how this image presents labor, and the physical body, alongside the symbols of established power. While it may seem to simply document the landscape, it also subtly acknowledges the tensions inherent in the social fabric of its time.