Begrafenisstoet van aartshertog Albrecht (plaat LIIII), 1622 1623

Cornelis Galle I created this print titled *Funeral Procession of Archduke Albrecht* in 1622 in the Netherlands. It depicts a procession, focusing on a group of pages. The image creates meaning through visual codes characteristic of courtly ceremony. In 17th-century Europe, the display of power and prestige was central to maintaining social order. Funeral processions for royalty were elaborate affairs, carefully choreographed to communicate messages about succession, legitimacy, and the continuity of power. This print functions as a record, an artifact of such a carefully constructed event, made for distribution and repeated viewing. The level of detail in the print suggests that it was intended for a relatively wealthy audience. Those who were interested in courtly life and heraldry, or perhaps as a commemorative item for those who participated in the procession. To understand this print better, we might turn to primary source accounts of the funeral, genealogical records of the figures depicted, and studies of court culture in the Netherlands at this time. This reminds us that the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.