Riviergezicht met aangemeerde roeiboot 1742 - 1784

Hendrik Spilman created this etching, Riviergezicht met aangemeerde roeiboot, sometime in the 18th century. Spilman was working during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by unprecedented economic prosperity and cultural flourishing in the Netherlands, but also stark class divisions. Here, we see a snapshot of everyday life along a riverbank. While the scene appears serene, it also subtly hints at the social stratification of the time. Notice the group of women and children standing idly by, their clothes suggesting a degree of comfort, while other figures are actively engaged in what seems to be the labor-intensive task of preparing a boat. This contrast underscores the lived realities of different social classes. Spilman doesn't shy away from depicting the labor required to sustain the economy, yet there is a careful distance maintained, a separation between observer and observed, between the comfortable and the working class. The emotional resonance of this work lies in its quiet revelation of the everyday inequalities woven into the fabric of 18th-century Dutch society.