Gezicht op de achterkant van Huis ten Bosch after 1717

This engraving, "Gezicht op de achterkant van Huis ten Bosch," resides in the Rijksmuseum and was made by an anonymous artist. The print meticulously captures the building's rear facade, with the composition emphasizing symmetrical design. Our gaze is led from the patterned garden and fountain, through the ornate, grid-like fence, and up towards the palace itself. The detailed rendering of the cloudscape above adds an almost theatrical backdrop to the architectural subject. The structure embodies a semiotic dialogue between nature and artifice. The calculated geometry of the gardens contrasts with the organic forms of trees and clouds, questioning the limits of human control. The linear perspective, drawing our eye to the horizon, creates an ordered space which hints at broader philosophical considerations of space and power. Notice the function of line in defining form and space. It is this formal quality that draws us into a conversation about the representation of space.