Gezicht op Huis de Pottere en gezicht op de Potterhuisjes te Noordgouwe, 1745 1754 - 1792

Hendrik Spilman created this print in 1745, titled “View of the House de Pottere and view of the Potter Houses in Noordgouwe.” Spilman was part of a generation of artists who captured the changing social landscape of the Netherlands. These serene images offer a window into the lives of the wealthy during the 18th century. We see not just buildings, but symbols of status and power. The presence of grazing cattle and figures strolling along tree-lined paths speaks to a life of leisure afforded by the accumulation of capital. But who were the Potters, and what histories are obscured by these seemingly placid scenes? The title mentioning "Mrs. de Pottere's... Konvers Huloigs" hints at the gendered dimensions of property and inheritance, reminding us of the women who navigated and shaped these social landscapes. This work invites us to consider whose stories are told and whose are left out of the picturesque narratives of the Dutch Golden Age.