Allegorie op de aanvaarding van het stadhouderschap door prins Willem V, 1766 1766

This allegorical print by Antoine P. Duboulois, made in 1766, commemorates Prince Willem V’s acceptance of the stadtholderate. The composition is vertically oriented and crowded with figures arranged on and around a grand staircase leading to a heavenly assembly. On the left, cherubic children play while a regal woman ascends. In the center, light emanates from a gathering of celestial beings. To the right, a chaotic scene unfolds, with figures tumbling down the stairs, seemingly repulsed by the events above. The print operates within a visual language of power and divine right. The staircase functions as a transitional space between earthly disorder and heavenly order, reinforcing the legitimacy of Willem V’s rule. The receding perspective creates depth, while the dense arrangement suggests a society undergoing transformation. The artist uses the formal elements of composition and light to legitimize a political act through religious and symbolic representation.