Triomfboog met Karel IV before 1664

Sébastien Leclerc I made this print called ‘Triumph Arch with Charles IV’ in the 17th century using etching. It depicts a ruler on horseback framed by the architecture of a Roman triumphal arch. Images like this played a key role in shaping the public image of monarchs in 17th-century Europe, particularly in France where Leclerc worked. The visual codes are clear: military regalia, symbolic figures, and Latin inscriptions all reinforce the impression of power and legitimate rule. The arch itself, borrowed from ancient Rome, is less a work of art than a carefully calculated piece of propaganda. Leclerc, as an artist working for the French court, was contributing to the absolutist project of Louis XIV: the consolidation of power through spectacle and the strategic deployment of images. To properly understand this print we might consult sources, such as court documents, letters, and political pamphlets, revealing its precise function in the theatre of power. In doing so, we can appreciate the triumphal arch not as a mere image, but as a historical artifact embedded in the social and institutional context of its time.