Graaf Dirk I van Holland 1586 - 1587

Hendrick Goltzius made this engraving of Graaf Dirk I van Holland some time around 1600 in the Netherlands. It's an image that presents history. But what version of history is it trying to sell? Dirk I ruled the area in the 10th century, but Goltzius was working at a time when the Dutch Republic was fighting for independence from Spain. The revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs involved creating a new sense of national identity and so images of powerful rulers from the past became important. But who decides which rulers make the cut? Who gets remembered? The artist, of course, but also the institutions and patrons that promote certain images over others. In order to understand this image better, you might research the various histories of the Dutch revolt, or consider the biographies of those who commissioned and collected such prints. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.