Landscape with a Church and a Mill 1798

Jens Juel painted this landscape with a church and a mill using oil on canvas. Across the Danish landscape, Juel places the institutions of the church and the mill. Note how the church is in disrepair, whereas the mill is fully functional, grinding away. The precise meaning is elusive but it likely conveys a sense of the growing importance of industry to Danish life in the late 18th century. The late 1700s were a time of agricultural reform in Denmark, moving from medieval open field systems to enclosed fields, so it is possible that the painting alludes to these social changes. The figures in the landscape also suggest a society that is on the move. As historians, we might delve into the archives of local history and search through the records of parish churches and local mills in order to learn more about the social meaning of the painting. Only by grasping its historical context can we begin to understand its significance.