Illustratie voor 'Den Arbeid van Mars' van Allain Manesson Mallet 1672

This illustration was made by Romeyn de Hooghe around the turn of the 18th century, to be included in Allain Manesson Mallet’s book on military engineering. De Hooghe was a key figure in Dutch art at this time, and he often made work that spoke to the scientific and political interests of the Dutch Republic. Here, he pictures the French city of Bapaume under siege. Above the city, we see a geometrical demonstration. This is an example of the way that military engineers would have calculated how to direct cannons to destroy the city's defenses. The Dutch Republic was a leading military power at this time, and the elite would have had a keen interest in such demonstrations. We can see how the combination of art, science, and military power came together in the Dutch Republic. The print is a window into the values of Dutch society at the time. By looking at prints and books, we can understand how the institutions of science, the military, and art shaped the culture of the Dutch Republic.