Wapens van Willem Frederik, graaf van Nassau-Dietz, en Albertine Agnes, prinses van Oranje 18th century

This unidentified engraving depicts the conjoined coats of arms of Willem Frederik, Count of Nassau-Dietz, and Albertine Agnes, Princess of Orange. It gives us insight into the rigid social hierarchies and gendered expectations of the 17th century. Through heraldry, marriage was used as a tool to consolidate power and ensure lineage. In this print, the joining of their individual crests visually represents the merging of two powerful Dutch houses through matrimony. The imagery, rich with symbols of strength and nobility like lions and crowns, speaks to the constructed identities of the elite class. Yet, while Willem Frederik’s achievements are enumerated, Albertine Agnes’ identity is primarily defined through her relationship to male figures, first as the “Daughter of Fried. Henrici Printzens v. Oranien” and then as Willem's wife. The print is a stark reminder of how women's identities were often subsumed by those of their fathers and husbands. It's a visual emblem of dynastic alliance, but also one of the gendered power dynamics structuring 17th-century European society.