Slag bij Leuze, 1691 1693 - 1696

This anonymous etching depicts the Battle of Leuze, a military engagement from 1691. Note the landscape, transformed into a theater of war, meticulously mapped with formations of troops. These blocks of soldiers, so rigidly arranged, speak to a deep-seated human desire for order amidst chaos. The compass rose in the upper-left corner transcends its utilitarian function of orientation. It becomes a symbol of human ambition to control and understand the world, echoing the celestial maps of antiquity. Even in the midst of conflict, there's an impulse to chart a course, to seek direction. Consider the evolution of cartography: from ancient star charts used for navigation to these military maps. It's a non-linear progression, this impulse to map our surroundings and give meaning to the unknown.