Moord op de Maréchal d'Ancre te Parijs, 1617 1617 - 1619

This is Frans Hogenberg’s engraving, “Moord op de Maréchal d'Ancre te Parijs, 1617,” or "Murder on the Marshal d'Ancre in Paris, 1617," now at the Rijksmuseum. The entire composition is divided into a grid of six panels. This structure organizes a chaotic scene into a sequence, almost like a storyboard. The rigorous geometric partitioning imposes order, yet it also disrupts our sense of narrative flow. Each panel teems with figures rendered through fine, energetic lines. These lines create texture and movement, contrasting the static arrangement of the panels. The lack of depth flattens the scenes. This emphasizes the graphic quality of the print over spatial realism. Hogenberg uses a semiotic system of violence: swords, gestures of aggression, and the theatrical display of the aftermath. The panels read as a series of signs, each contributing to a larger narrative of political assassination and public spectacle. This work destabilizes the traditional heroic depiction of power. The formal structure—organized yet chaotic—mirrors the unstable political landscape it represents. The division into panels allows us to decode the unfolding events, turning a complex historical moment into a series of comprehensible, albeit brutal, visual statements.