Tekstblad bij de prent van Cromwell als koorddanser, 1652 1652

This 1652 print from the Rijksmuseum, titled "Tekstblad bij de prent van Cromwell als koorddanser", is an anonymous piece that uses text to express the political climate surrounding Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England. It features a poem criticizing Cromwell, who is being likened to a tightrope walker, as an unstable and unreliable ruler. The poem uses metaphors like "his foot is on a slippery ground" and "his dance is full of fear and worry" to criticize Cromwell's rule. The artwork's title highlights the importance of interpreting the visual imagery with the accompanying text.