Johan van Oldenbarnevelt knielt voor zijn onthoofding, 1619 1728

Bernard Picart created this print of the execution of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt sometime between his birth in 1673 and his death in 1733. It memorializes an event that had occurred in the Netherlands more than fifty years earlier. This image of Oldenbarnevelt kneeling before his execution offers a powerful visual commentary on the fraught relationship between politics and justice in the Dutch Republic. The print doesn't just depict a historical event; it actively shapes its memory. The towering architecture in the background, for example, places the execution within a specific urban and institutional context, reminding viewers of the power structures at play. Meanwhile, the gaze of the onlooking crowd implicates the public in this act of state-sanctioned violence. To truly understand this print, we need to delve into the historical archives, exploring legal documents, political pamphlets, and personal letters. These sources can reveal the complex web of alliances, betrayals, and ideological conflicts that led to Oldenbarnevelt's demise and to Picart's image of it.