A soldier pouring powder into the pan, from the Marksmen series, plate 16, in Waffenhandlung von den Rören Musquetten undt Spiessen / Wapenhandelinghe van Roers Musquetten ende Spiessen (The Exercise of Arms) 1608

This etching, "A soldier pouring powder into the pan," from Jacques de Gheyn II's series *The Exercise of Arms*, depicts a soldier in meticulous detail, as he prepares his musket for firing. De Gheyn's work, created in 1608, was both a practical manual for soldiers and a sophisticated artistic treatise on the intricacies of military equipment and tactics. The etching captures the precise moment of loading a firearm, a crucial step in the firing process, and reveals the soldier's expertise and concentration. Through the artist's masterful use of line and shadow, the soldier's pose, the musket's intricate details, and the overall atmosphere of readiness are rendered with remarkable clarity. *The Exercise of Arms* has had a profound impact on the history of art, serving as a model for subsequent depictions of military subjects and influencing the development of realism in printmaking.