Hoffunctionarissen van Karel V, plaat O 1530 - 1536

This engraving, Hoffunctionarissen van Karel V, plaat O, was created by Nicolaas Hogenberg, around the 16th century. Hogenberg was an engraver during a time of significant religious and political upheaval in Europe. The artwork depicts a procession of officials in service to Charles V. What strikes me is the way the artwork underscores the rigid social hierarchies of the time. The figures on horseback, presumably nobility, are rendered with a degree of detail, whereas the commoners seem less defined. The artwork reflects a world in which power and status were visibly performed. Interestingly, Hogenberg produced a series of prints of the same kind, documenting the social and political landscape of his era. His work provides an insight into how identities were constructed and displayed through ceremony and representation. Ultimately, this engraving is more than a historical document, it's an echo of the values, and the visible inequalities, that shaped early modern Europe.