Vervallen boerenwoning 1632

Gerard ter Borch created this drawing of a dilapidated farmhouse with pen and brown ink, in the Netherlands, sometime in the 17th century. Farmhouses such as this one were common in the Dutch countryside. Here, Ter Borch highlights its state of disrepair. We might see the drawing as commenting on the economic and social conditions of the time. The 17th century in the Netherlands was a period of great economic and social change, and not everyone benefited equally from it. While some people were getting rich from trade, others were struggling to make ends meet. Perhaps Ter Borch is telling us something about the lives of ordinary people in the Dutch countryside. Art historians research these drawings by looking at estate records and other documents, which help to discover more about the people who lived in farmhouses like this one. This can shed light on the social and economic conditions that shaped Ter Borch's art, and help us to understand its meaning more fully.