Allegorie van de Nieuwe Kuiper, 1621 1626

This 17th-century engraving, *Allegorie van de Nieuwe Kuiper*, is a satirical piece that depicts the political and social turmoil of the Netherlands in the early 1600s. The artist, unknown, used the metaphor of a cooper (Kuiper) to represent the Dutch Republic, showing how it was struggling to stay together due to internal divisions and external pressures. The engraving presents a scene with various figures representing different factions of society, all gathered around a barrel, the symbol of the Dutch Republic. The title, *Den Nieuwen Kuiper*, references the new "cooper" or leader of the Republic, and the text accompanying the image further underscores the political commentary, making this a valuable source for understanding the social dynamics of the Dutch Golden Age.