De aankomst van Elisabeth Christina, de echtgenote van koning Karel III te Barcelona, 1708 1673 - 1708

This print, made in the Netherlands in 1708, depicts the arrival in Barcelona of Elisabeth Christina, the wife of King Charles III of Spain. Such images served as propaganda, celebrating key political events and circulating news to a wide public. Here, the artist uses visual codes to convey power and legitimacy. We see Elisabeth greeted by King Charles, surrounded by soldiers and dignitaries. The city of Barcelona appears in the background, its skyline reinforcing the scale of the event. The artist also includes blocks of text, functioning as captions and speech bubbles that tell the viewer how to interpret the scene. This print emerges from a specific institutional context. Produced in the Netherlands during the War of the Spanish Succession, it reflects the Dutch Republic’s support for Charles III’s claim to the Spanish throne. Prints like this one played a crucial role in shaping public opinion and mobilizing support for political causes. To fully understand this print, historians consult a range of sources, from political pamphlets to diplomatic correspondence, to reconstruct the complex social and institutional forces that shaped its creation.