Optocht van Jan van Leyden te Münster, 1535 1783 - 1795

Reinier Vinkeles created this print, “The procession of Jan van Leiden in Münster, 1535”, sometime around 1741-1816. Dominating the scene is Jan van Leiden, astride a horse, adorned in royal attire. He is a figure of authority, met with subjects prostrating themselves at his feet, indicating power. The act of prostration is heavy with symbolism. It echoes ancient gestures of submission before emperors and gods, a motif stretching back to antiquity, seen in depictions of Roman emperors receiving homage, or biblical scenes of adoration. Yet, its recurrence here, in 16th-century Münster, takes on a darker hue. It speaks not just of reverence, but of enforced obedience, the kind that festers under autocratic rule. Think of how, in dreams, such gestures might reveal hidden anxieties about power dynamics, the fear of subjugation lurking beneath the surface of our collective consciousness. The image acts as a stage for the drama of power, engaging us in the complex dance between the ruler and the ruled. The act resurfaces through history, evolving, taking on new meanings in different contexts.