Hendrik IV laat een dorpeling meerijden op zijn paard c. 1845 - 1849

Joseph Schubert created this print entitled ‘Hendrik IV laat een dorpeling meerijden op zijn paard’ sometime in the mid-19th century. It depicts Henry IV, the King of France from 1589 to 1610, sharing his horse with a villager. Prints like these served an important public function in nineteenth-century Europe. As inexpensive reproductions, they made images available to a wider audience, spreading ideas and shaping public opinion. Here, the artist promotes an image of benevolent monarchy: the King's generosity towards a commoner symbolizes a harmonious social order. It presents an idealized version of French history at a time when the country was grappling with rapid social changes brought about by industrialization and urbanization. The image can be understood as both a comment on and an intervention within those social structures. To fully understand the print’s meaning, we can delve into the history of nineteenth-century printmaking, the politics of representation, and the social function of art. By researching these contexts, we can see art as inextricably linked to its social and institutional conditions.