Blad uit Chronique van Vrieslant 1622

This is a page from "Chronique van Vrieslant", made by Pieter Intesz Kingma. The print, adorned with old Dutch text, depicts a monument dedicated to Colonel Caspar de Robles. This monument, under De Robles’s governance, embodies a complex intersection of power and identity during a tumultuous period in Dutch history. The imagery contains two headed figure of Janus, a Roman god who looks to both the past and the future. The inscription celebrates a military figure amid the chronicles of Frisia, an area marked by constant conflict between local autonomy and foreign rule. Caspar de Robles was a Spanish military commander in the Dutch Revolt, representing the authority of the Spanish crown, and the monument would have been a complex symbol of power and control during a period of conflict. The piece prompts reflection on how monuments can embody complex legacies. It invites us to consider the layers of identity, power, and historical narrative embedded in the visual culture of the past.