Vignet met een koning en koningin bij een terechtstelling 1702 - 1767

Jacob Folkema created this vignette with a king and queen at an execution using etching techniques. The composition is structured around a proscenium-like arch, framing a stark scene of public execution. Note the precise lines that meticulously detail the figures, from the regal bearing of the king to the supplicant posture of the queen. Folkema has a knack for capturing texture. The texture of the fabrics, the rough stone of the architecture, all suggesting a palpable sense of weight and presence. Consider the semiotic implications here. The arrangement, with the king standing in judgement, the queen kneeling in supplication, and the executioners in the background, speaks to the rigid social hierarchies of the time. The arch itself frames not just the scene, but also the concepts of justice, power, and spectacle. Folkema uses this small stage to explore the drama inherent in the structures of authority and obedience.