De exercitie met schild en spies: de soldaat trekt zijn arm uit de riem van het schild (nr. 25), 1618 1616 - 1618

Adam van Breen made this engraving of a soldier in 1618. It shows a pikeman practicing one of the poses and movements soldiers were drilled in. This print comes from the Netherlands, a place that understood the public role of art. As the Dutch fought for independence from Spain, prints like this helped to create a shared sense of identity, and to prepare the population for war. It also suggests that the military was becoming increasingly professionalized. The manualization of combat was part of a broader project of rationalizing society. Understanding this print requires placing it within a military and political context. By looking into the history of military science, the training of soldiers, and the conduct of the Dutch war of Independence, we can better understand the image, and the society that made it. Art is contingent on the social and institutional context in which it was made.