Alva kondigt het Generaal Pardon af, 1570 1849 - 1851

This print, made by Johann Wilhelm Kaiser, depicts the Duke of Alba announcing the General Pardon of 1570. The image is an exercise in statecraft, an attempt to shore up the image of Spanish authority in the Netherlands. The print creates meaning through sharp visual codes. Alba is raised up on a platform with his wife and surrounded by soldiers, visually representing a powerful military presence. Below him, we see the townspeople of Antwerp. They look up to Alba, some of them are on their knees, begging for his forgiveness. This print was made long after the historical event it depicts. To properly understand this image, historians would need to consult primary sources from 16th-century Antwerp, as well as studies of Dutch printmaking and Spanish-Dutch relations. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context, reminding us that history is necessary when it comes to truly understanding an artwork.