Et krigsråd i Salle des Francs i Brügge omkring år 1600 1836 - 1858

Heinrich Hansen painted "A War Council in the Salle des Francs in Bruges around 1600" using oil on canvas. Oil paint, since the Renaissance, has allowed artists to imitate textures and capture light in great detail, a feature fully exploited here. Hansen's choice of oil paint emphasizes the textures of the room, from the carved wood detailing that wraps around the walls, to the fine cloth of the statesmen’s ruffs. The artist is demonstrating his technical skill, and the wealth and taste of his subject. It is an attribute of labor, which in this case is invisible in terms of the depicted objects. Consider the amount of labor involved in constructing a space such as this. The carving, the joinery, the textile production – all testify to the immense economic engine required to wage war, as is the subject of the depicted meeting. This intersection of making and economic power helps us appreciate the context surrounding Hansen’s painting.