Lijkstatie van Wolter Jan Gerrit baron Bentinck, 1781 1781

Barent de Bakker created this print in 1781, which is held at the Rijksmuseum, showing the funeral procession of Wolter Jan Gerrit, Baron Bentinck. During this era, the Dutch Republic was a society deeply stratified by class. Bentinck's funeral wasn't just a private affair; it was a public display of power and status, carefully orchestrated to reinforce the social hierarchy. The elaborate procession, with its horse-drawn carriages and boats full of mourners, winds its way along the river, framed by the architecture of privilege. Consider how gender and class intersect in this image. While the print focuses on the male Baron and his mourners, what about the women present? What roles did they play in maintaining the Bentinck family's social standing? What labor went into this display? It's a reminder that history is rarely a straightforward narrative, but a complex web of power, identity, and representation.