Jan Zizka met zijn leger voor de koning 1798

This is Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki's print, 'Jan Zizka met zijn leger voor de koning', housed at the Rijksmuseum. The artist employs a detailed linear technique to depict a historical scene. The composition balances the architectural mass on the right with the densely grouped figures on the left. Note the strategic use of line, which articulates not just the forms of people and buildings but also the gradations of light and shadow. This detailed approach to line work invites us to consider the deeper structures of representation and power at play. The work invites us to consider how historical narratives are constructed. The strategic arrangement of figures and the almost theatrical presentation of space within this print emphasizes the interplay between historical event and its visual representation.