Gezicht op het Buitenhof 1663 - 1670

Cornelis Elandts created this print of ‘Gezicht op het Buitenhof’ sometime in the 17th century. The Buitenhof in The Hague was the political heart of the Dutch Republic, a place of power and commerce for the elite. This image offers a glimpse into the social hierarchy of the time. The figures populating the foreground are rendered with careful detail, their clothing denoting status and wealth. But what about those who are absent? Where are the working class, the poor, the marginalized? Their stories are conspicuously missing from this orderly representation of Dutch society. The very act of depicting this scene serves to reinforce the existing power structures of the time. Yet, in its precise rendering of the buildings and people, the print also captures a specific moment in history, a moment of Dutch prosperity and global influence. In some ways, ‘Gezicht op het Buitenhof’ invites us to question whose stories are being told and whose are being left out. The image becomes a mirror reflecting the complex interplay of power, identity, and representation.