Huis de Voorst 1675 - 1711

This print, ‘Huis de Voorst,’ was made by Pieter Schenk around the turn of the 18th century, using an engraving technique. Look closely, and you can see the marks of the burin, the tool that he used to cut lines into a copper plate. The material of this print – ink on paper – might seem humble enough. But consider the image itself: a grand estate, bustling with activity. The degree of detail suggests the intense labor involved, not only in the printmaking process, but in the construction and maintenance of the estate itself. Think of the stonecutters, gardeners, and domestic staff required to make such a place function. The print thus gives us a glimpse into the economy of the time, a world of extreme wealth disparity made possible by intense, often invisible labor. Schenk’s print, multiplied and distributed, participated in this economy, both celebrating and, perhaps inadvertently, revealing its underlying dynamics.