Gezicht op een laan in het midden van een tuin 1742 - 1801

Georg Balthasar Probst created this print of a garden view with etching. Here, the garden is rigidly structured, drawing the eye to the architectural structure in the distance, flanked by dark hedges on both sides. The composition is bisected in the middle by a body of water in which a ship sails. The garden, since antiquity, has been a symbol of paradise, a space where nature is cultivated and controlled. Here, the garden path is framed by hedges like the wings of a theater stage, guiding our gaze. This motif can be traced back to the enclosed gardens of the medieval period, representing the hortus conclusus, a symbol of purity and spiritual contemplation. However, Probst presents a twist; the ship sailing in the garden is not a common sight. This introduces a sense of the uncanny, an element of surprise. In this picturesque scene, the water element becomes a theatrical backdrop for elaborate displays, suggesting a symbolic journey. This resonates with the collective dream of a utopian space, a vessel of collective aspirations.