De Spaanse dwerg Ridder Castiliano Kikeboe, 1720 1718 - 1720

This is a 1720 print entitled, 'The Spanish Dwarf Knight Castiliano Kikeboe' by Joost van Sassen. The composition is dominated by the figure of a dwarf, rendered with exaggerated features and a caricatured form, immediately evoking a sense of the grotesque. Van Sassen uses line and form to challenge established ideals of beauty and heroism. The figure's disproportionate body and exaggerated facial features destabilize traditional notions of the heroic knight. This distortion can be interpreted through the lens of post-structuralism, questioning fixed categories and values. The use of caricature serves as a visual sign, disrupting conventional representations of nobility and power. The seemingly simple lines of the engraving, therefore, function within a broader cultural discourse, reflecting on themes of power, representation, and the subversion of established norms. It’s through this formal analysis that we can appreciate how the print actively engages with and destabilizes cultural expectations.