Wandelaars bij rivier en huis 1613 - 1695

Nicolas Perelle made this print titled "Wanderers by River and House" sometime in the latter half of the 17th century. The image presents a tranquil scene in which finely dressed wanderers are enjoying a riparian landscape. In the background, the palatial house of a wealthy landowner looms through the trees. Perelle was a member of the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, the premier art institution of its day, so this romantic image chimes with the values of his class and profession. Note that the title focuses not on the house, but on the act of wandering. The painting captures a moment of leisure that was increasingly available to the wealthy in the early modern period. This image might be seen as a form of advertising, intended to suggest the pleasures of the pastoral life to potential buyers. To understand this image better, one could research the patronage of the Perelle family or explore how contemporary elites used landscape imagery to project an image of their wealth and authority.