Inname van Grave door Parma, 1586 1613 - 1615

This is an anonymous engraving titled "The Capture of Grave by Parma," created in 1586. The print depicts the siege of Grave, a key event in the Eighty Years' War, a conflict deeply rooted in religious and political tensions. The image serves as a powerful piece of propaganda, framing the Spanish Duke of Parma as a triumphant leader, while casting the Dutch forces under Robert Dudley in a negative light, as the Latin inscription implies. The detailed depiction of military strategy underscores the calculated nature of warfare, while the absence of individual suffering perhaps works to sanitize the violence. Consider the role of the printmaker here. Whose story are they telling? Whose perspective is centered? The engraving invites us to think about the intersection of war, identity, and representation in the early modern period.