Gezicht op de achterzijde van Huis ter Nieuburch te Rijswijk in vogelvlucht 1697

Curator: The first thing I notice is this bird’s-eye view – a grand estate laid out with geometrical precision. Almost feels like peering into a dollhouse, doesn’t it? Editor: It does! All those miniature trees and meticulously placed ponds... There's something deeply satisfying about the order and control on display, almost bordering on obsessive. Like a king trying to manage nature itself. Curator: That's precisely the sentiment of the Baroque era! We’re looking at Pieter Schenk’s engraving, "Gezicht op de achterzijde van Huis ter Nieuburch te Rijswijk in vogelvlucht" from 1697. Editor: A mouthful! Schenk, huh? The name sounds familiar... Curator: He was a prominent engraver, known for these detailed cityscapes and landscapes. This piece depicts the rear of Huis ter Nieuburch in Rijswijk, now located at the Rijksmuseum, a palace which was significant because the Treaty of Rijswijk was signed here, ending the Nine Years’ War. You can feel that weighty symbolism, a literal space of imposed peace and power. Editor: So, this perfectly symmetrical garden and grandiose building wasn't just an aesthetic choice then; it's a declaration of dominion? It makes the straight lines in the perspective, combined with aged paper, suddenly suggestive, like a very old document... Curator: Exactly. The vantage point and style celebrate human mastery, imposing order upon nature but also reflecting the rigid societal hierarchies of the time. The estate itself becomes a visual metaphor for power and control, a reminder that peace treaties, too, are constructions imposed upon a complex reality. Editor: Well, I guess those formally arranged hedges are concealing more than just earthworms, huh? It all becomes a bit... ominous. Like a beautifully packaged form of authority! Curator: I agree, seeing the garden as a stage for international diplomacy brings into sharper relief its visual impact, a fascinating insight on its historic role. Editor: The beauty of this detailed view isn't only in its surface aesthetics but how it reflects that era's worldview. Fascinating.