Spaanse soldaat in een landschap 1635

"Spaanse soldaat in een landschap" (Spanish Soldier in a Landscape) is an etching by Abraham Bosse, created in 1635 and now located in the Rijksmuseum. The etching depicts a Spanish soldier, his imposing figure is exaggerated, with a plumed hat and a wide, ruffled collar. The soldier's bravado is undermined by the skeletal figure of Death in the foreground, a reminder of mortality and the inevitability of death. This satirical etching, in the tradition of 17th-century Dutch art, reflects the anxieties and uncertainties of the time, while simultaneously capturing the fashions and military culture of the era.