Tuin met diverse parterres, omgeven door balustrades 1615

This print depicts a garden with diverse parterres, surrounded by balustrades and was made by an anonymous artist. The highly structured nature of the garden is immediately striking. Created in the Netherlands, the garden is a show of wealth. During this time, the Netherlands experienced a Golden Age, with powerful merchants at the helm. The complex geometry reflects a desire to impose order on the natural world. The print also shows that the owners had access to the labour and expert knowledge needed to maintain such an elaborate design. Such gardens were status symbols, designed to impress visitors with the owner's power and sophistication. The artist probably worked with a garden designer to create this view. To fully understand this image, we need to delve into archives to find comparable gardens and pattern books. This type of investigation situates the image within the specific social and economic conditions of its time.