Portret van een onbekende Italiaanse veldheer 1861 - 1889

This is William Unger's rendering of an unknown Italian field marshal, created with etching. The image exudes the pomp of military power that was crucial to statecraft in early modern Europe. The etching, which likely circulated as a print, speaks to a growing appetite among middle-class audiences for visual representations of historical figures. Made in the Netherlands during the nineteenth century, it invites us to consider a moment of rising nationalism across Europe, when prints of celebrated historical figures were employed to advance ideas of national identity and pride. Italy, which had only recently consolidated into a unified nation-state, was especially invested in constructing a heroic historical narrative. To understand this image, it's helpful to study the history of printmaking, and to consider how art institutions of the 19th century helped to shape historical narratives. Art doesn't exist in a vacuum. Rather, it's part of a complex social and institutional context, which historians help us to understand.