Heilige Franciscus aan voet van kruis van Christus 1683 - 1733

This is Bernard Picart’s etching of the Alliance of Charles le Chauve and Louis de Bavière, created in 1732. Picart lived during a time of significant political and social upheaval in Europe. Here, the artist invites us to consider the choreography of power. Note the raised hands, swords, armor, and horses. Military might merges with political spectacle, underscoring the performative aspects of leadership and alliance-building in the early modern period. The artist is not merely documenting an event but is also crafting a narrative about authority, negotiation, and the visual rhetoric of power. The artist refrains from idealizing his subjects. Instead he presents them as figures caught in the complex web of political ambition and military strategy. How does the image invite the viewer to contemplate the tension between personal agency and historical determinism? The alliance between Charles and Louis can be seen as a reflection of broader societal issues. Alliances of power and the negotiation of identities still resonate today.