Karel de V 1586 - 1587

This engraving of Karel de V was made by Hendrick Goltzius around the turn of the seventeenth century, and it speaks volumes about the social and political context in which it was produced. The image of Karel, adorned with symbols of power and authority, constructs a very particular kind of meaning. The sword, crown, and coat of arms next to the Holy Roman Emperor all contribute to his elevated status. This piece was made during the rise of print culture in the Netherlands; publishers often worked closely with political authorities to broadcast imagery that reinforced the power of the state. The very act of disseminating this image through print served to amplify Karel's authority and project it onto a wider public stage. By studying the visual codes of the time, the institutional histories of printmaking, and the political context in which Goltzius was working, we can start to unpack the complex relationship between art, power, and society in the early modern period.