Lijkdienst voor Keizer Matthias c. 1619 - 1620

Gerard ter Borch II created this print, “Funeral Service for Emperor Matthias,” using etching and possibly drypoint. Ter Borch was known for his scenes of the Dutch upper class, but this work takes us into the grandeur of imperial mourning. The print depicts a ceremony inside what appears to be a vast, ornately decorated hall, filled with people in mourning. As we consider this image, we might reflect on the performance of grief and power. The setting suggests a space where identity and status are not merely personal, but are also performed and reinforced through rituals such as this funeral service. It stages political theater as an expression of dynastic power. The artist creates a scene where every detail speaks to the social and political structures of the time. The careful rendering of the architecture and the figures invites us to consider the complex interplay of identity, power, and representation in 17th-century Europe. What does it mean to witness such a meticulously crafted expression of collective grief and imperial authority?