Gezicht op de Sint-Jorisdoelen te Den Haag 1730 - 1736

This is Jan Caspar Philips's print of the Sint-Jorisdoelen in The Hague, made in the 18th century using etching. The Doelen were very much a product of their time, a period of relative peace and prosperity in the Dutch Republic. These buildings functioned as meeting places and training grounds for civic guards. It was a place for socialising and practicing military skills, and the architecture reflects the civic pride of the Dutch merchant class. Philips’s image shows us the building itself, but also the activities that took place in front of it: people strolling, riding horses, and generally enjoying the public space. To understand this image better, historians consult city archives, architectural plans, and period documents to understand what the Doelen meant to the people of The Hague. Such research reminds us that art is always embedded in a specific social and institutional context.