Berglandschap met bomen 1613 - 1695

Nicolas Perelle created this landscape with trees as an etching sometime in the mid-17th century. The image presents a panoramic view, characteristic of the era, where nature is both grand and tamed. Consider the time and place in which it was made. This is France during the reign of Louis XIV. The monarchy was at its height and art was enlisted to project an image of power, order, and cultivated taste. Landscape prints like this one fed a growing appetite for idealized views of nature, carefully arranged to evoke harmony and balance, as well as to meet the standards of artistic institutions. While seemingly just a pastoral scene, this work reflects the values of its time: a controlled, idealized vision that resonated with the social and cultural elite. Understanding this etching means digging into the period's art academies and the system of royal patronage that shaped artistic production. With these sources we can explore the social and institutional contexts that gave rise to it.