Het vinden van het lijk van Karel de Stoute in een moeras, vastgevroren aan het ijs, 5 januari 1477 1787 - 1789

Jacobus Buys made this wash drawing depicting the gruesome discovery of Charles the Bold's corpse in 18th-century Netherlands. The image encapsulates the dramatic end of a powerful Duke, his body found frozen in a swamp after a battle defeat. Buys, working during the Dutch Enlightenment, presents a scene loaded with political undertones. The discovery of Charles’s body serves as a stark reminder of the perils of unchecked ambition and the fleeting nature of power. Notice how the figures around the corpse react with a mixture of shock and morbid curiosity, a reflection perhaps, on the public’s fascination with the downfall of leaders. To fully understand this drawing, historians delve into period accounts, political pamphlets, and even military records. In doing so, we uncover how artists like Buys engaged with historical events, offering their audiences moral lessons and subtle commentaries on contemporary society through the lens of the past.