Stamboom van Frederik en Ottheinrich van Palts-Neuburg (plaat 4) 1535 - 1594

Jakob Clauser created this print, ‘Stamboom van Frederik en Ottheinrich van Palts-Neuburg’, sometime in the 16th century. In it, he has depicted the lineage of two prominent figures in the form of a family tree. In the context of 16th-century Europe, where social hierarchy was deeply entrenched, these genealogical trees served as powerful visual tools to legitimize the status and authority of noble families. This print would have been commissioned to reinforce the idea of inherited privilege and divine right, concepts that were central to the political and social order of the time. The imagery on the print creates meaning through visual codes and cultural references. Coats of arms, portraits, and Latin inscriptions were all part of a visual language that communicated status, history, and legitimacy to a learned audience. To gain a deeper understanding of this artwork, resources such as historical archives, genealogical records, and studies on the social history of the European nobility would provide invaluable context. It is through such interdisciplinary research that we can fully appreciate the complex interplay between art, power, and society.