Inname van Gulik, 1610 1610 - 1612

This print by Frans Hogenberg captures the siege of Gulik in 1610, rendered with precise lines in ink on paper. The composition offers an aerial perspective, mapping out the city's fortifications and the surrounding military encampments. The meticulous detailing invites a structured reading of the siege. The artwork uses a semiotic system of mapping conventions to communicate military strategy. The city is represented as an ordered space while the attacking forces are carefully arranged around it. Notice how the linear perspective flattens the space, emphasizing the strategic layout rather than depth. Hogenberg uses these signs to convey power, control, and an ambition to represent the unfolding historical events. In essence, the print functions as both an aesthetic object and a strategic document. It invites us to consider how cartographic representation can embody political and military claims, and how lines on paper can delineate power structures. These visual strategies prompt us to question the relationship between representation, knowledge, and authority in historical contexts.