Gezicht op de Torre del Oro en de voorstad Triana bij Sevilla 1694 - 1737

This is a colored etching made by Pieter van den Berge around 1700, showing the Torre del Oro and the Triana neighborhood of Seville. Van den Berge made many prints of cities and landscapes, feeding a growing market for images of foreign places among the Dutch middle class. This etching presents Seville as a key site of maritime trade and imperial power. Note the ships sailing on the Guadalquivir River, and the fortified walls and towers that protected the city from invaders. These details reflect Spain's wealth and influence at the time, derived from its colonial possessions in the Americas. The Torre del Oro, originally built by the Moors, had become a symbol of Spanish dominance. To fully understand an image like this, we can consult archival sources like travel accounts, maps, and trade records, which shed light on the economic, political, and cultural dynamics that shaped the artist’s view of Seville. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.