The Funeral Procession of Count Ernst Casimir, Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen, that took place in Leeuwarden on January 3, 1633 1634

This print by Jan Herman depicts the 1633 funeral procession of Count Ernst Casimir. It’s an etching, meaning the design was bitten into a metal plate with acid, then inked and printed. Look closely and you’ll see the crisp lines and fine details. This was a painstaking process. First, the artist would have coated the plate with a waxy ground, then carefully scratched the image into it with a needle. The plate was then submerged in acid, which etched the exposed lines. But why choose printmaking for this subject? Etchings were relatively inexpensive to produce, enabling wide distribution. While commemorating a nobleman, the print also served as a kind of political communication. Note the captions accompanying the image which record the names of the States, the high councils of Friesland. This print isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a carefully crafted statement, reflecting social class, artistic skill, and the politics of representation in the Dutch Republic. It reminds us that even seemingly straightforward images are imbued with layers of meaning, accessible through understanding the materials and methods used to create them.