Twee stadspoorten 1796 - 1837

Domenico Quaglio created these two city gate images using etching techniques. Quaglio, who lived between 1787 and 1837, captured architectural scenes during a period of significant change in European cities. The top image depicts a fortified building accessible via an arched stone bridge, a symbol of separation and connection. The bottom image shows a church or religious building situated on a hill, signifying a division between the earthly and the divine. These scenes represent the boundaries, both physical and metaphorical, that shaped social life. The etchings reveal a period when the identity and community were closely tied to these urban and religious spaces. Quaglio’s delicate rendering invites us to reflect on how these structures once regulated movement, dictated social interactions, and instilled a sense of belonging or exclusion. Consider how the very walls that define a city also define its inhabitants' lives.