Spotprent op de problemen rond de troonopvolging, 1887 1887

This print by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans, dating from 1887, encapsulates the anxieties surrounding the Dutch succession. The image is dominated by a barren tree bearing fruit in the form of floating bubbles, each inscribed with potential heirs and legal considerations, overshadowed by a crown, a powerful symbol of royal authority. The tree itself, often a symbol of life and lineage, appears withered, suggesting uncertainty about the future. The crown, usually a symbol of power, seems to hang heavy, burdened by the weight of expectation and the surrounding doubts. Consider its appearances in medieval tapestries or Renaissance portraits – invariably presented as emblems of assured authority. The figure in despair, slumped beneath this symbolic tree, evokes a deep psychological resonance. This posture of grief and contemplation, reminiscent of depictions of melancholia throughout art history, serves to draw the viewer into the emotional core of the succession crisis, highlighting the intense personal and collective anxieties at stake.