De doodskist van Ledenberg aan de galg, 1619 1619 - 1699

This engraving, made in 1619 by an anonymous artist, depicts the coffin of Gielis van Ledenberg hanging from a gallows. The printmaking process itself is crucial here. The stark lines, etched into a metal plate and then transferred to paper, lend the image a sense of grim finality. Notice how the coffin, rendered with precise, almost technical detail, dominates the scene. The engraver meticulously captures the texture of the wood, the metal bands, and the heavy chains suspending it. This attention to material detail isn't just aesthetic; it speaks to the labor involved in constructing both the coffin and the gallows. The print serves as a potent political statement. Ledenberg, a secretary of the Utrecht States, committed suicide while imprisoned for political reasons. Hanging his coffin was a symbolic act of posthumous punishment. The print, therefore, becomes a tool of propaganda, extending the reach of this act of desecration through the reproducible medium of engraving. Ultimately, this work reminds us that even seemingly simple images are imbued with material significance, revealing complex social and political narratives when we consider the processes of their making.